


Find Your Way Home

by FKTForever (BlueFireRedIce)



Series: FKTForever Spring FRE 2019 Raffle works [4]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Blood, Gore, Hurt Fíli, M/M, Pack Dynamics, Soulmates, shapeshifter AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:07:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22433908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueFireRedIce/pseuds/FKTForever
Summary: Blessed by the Gods, the Line of Durin has the ability to Shift into predators strong enough to defend their people. Their homes.When Fili was five years old, he said goodbye to his father and uncle who were leaving for a trade negotiation; only for them to never return. His father, slain by arrows while his changeling Uncle was supposedly murdered.It turns out, the lost member of their family isn't as lost as they believed; but he's trapped - the pain too great for the animal to release the dwarf. Now, years later history seems to be repeating itself, and if they don't find a way to reverse what's been done, Kili stands to lose that which he holds most dear.
Relationships: Fíli/Kíli
Series: FKTForever Spring FRE 2019 Raffle works [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1654837
Comments: 52
Kudos: 59
Collections: GatheringFiKi - Spring FRE 2019





	1. This Wild Thing Inside

**Author's Note:**

  * For [girlmarvel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/girlmarvel/gifts).



**A/N: Hello lovely people!**

**My 3rd and final Spring Raffle Prize is finally complete and ready for publishing! Woohoo! It took forever (as evident by the fact we’ve well and truly changed seasons now) but I got it done!**

**This is a prize for the lovely @damnitfili on Tumblr (AO3 name is coming so I can gift it properly) whose request was pretty simple: hurt Fili. My specialty :P**

**I hope you enjoy, and I can't wait to hear what you think!**

Kíli sprinted down the road, his heart thundering just as heavily as his feet. 

Missing. Fíli was missing. 

_No,_ he corrected himself. _Taken_. Fíli had been _taken._

Two weeks ago Fíli had set out from the Blue Mountains with a small contingent of guards to travel to Rohan to negotiate a trade deal; all smiles and reassurances that it was a brief trip and so the small number of guards was more than adequate. 

But according to Ori, he’d never made it. He’d been scheduled to arrive there four days ago – not that he was counting – so even if they’d taken a couple of extra days due to unforeseen issues, they should have been sitting in the Horse Lord’s hall by now enjoying an ale and discussing the merits of dwarven weaponry. 

Instead, about ten minutes ago a raven had appeared at the window to Thorin’s study where he’d been meeting with Ori, Dwalin and Balin; a note tied to its leg and the bird adamant that the only one who got the piece of parchment was Thorin himself – apparently Balin’s hand was sporting three neat cuts where the raven had lashed out at him before they realised its determination to follow orders. 

Not suspecting anything might be wrong Thorin had handed it straight to Balin, assuming that the raven carried nothing more than a message from his cousin. When Balin had started reading the note his eyes had bugged out of his head before he could control himself, prompting Thorin to snatch it back so he could read it instead. 

The missive had been short and to the point, and while its shortness had been appreciated, its content had not. 

_Trade contingent failed to reach Rohan. Welcome party went looking, found signs of an ambush. Guards dead – prince missing. Search underway – information will be sent as received. Thengal._

A look from Balin had sent the young scribe scampering from the room to fetch him, and his timing had been perfect – for no sooner had the door swung shut than Thorin had lost control and started wreaking havoc. 

He hadn’t listened to much after that. When Ori had promised to close the forge for him he’d barrelled out the door, determined to get home so he could ensure a search party was organised and underway before nightfall. 

Dwarves moved out of his way as he sprinted past, likely used to his antics of running around like a lunatic when he needed to get out of the house or forge and stretch his legs; so they’d have thought little of his speed as he hurtled past them. 

But he wasn’t fooling around this time. Every footfall brought him closer to home, and just as they moved him closer to his destination they kicked up a small cloud of dust. Admittedly the desire to shift was right on the edge of his mind as well, the urge to dig his claws into the dirt as he ran overwhelming. 

But he couldn’t shift. Not here, when Men walked amongst them and could expose their secret. 

He rounded the corner and spotted Balin at Oín’s house, talking with the healer hurriedly. The two older dwarves looked up from their conversation and nodded at him as he passed, which he acknowledged with a nod of his own without even slowing. No doubt he’d be talking to them shortly. 

As he got to the end of the lane the sound of Thorin shouting boomed around him, startling those in the nearby vicinity with the intensity of his anger. He couldn’t understand what was being said, but the volume was enough for him to know Thorin was beyond furious. 

And rightfully so. 

The closer he got, the clearer his Uncle’s rants became; the older dwarf’s voice rising and falling as he rolled between wild snarls and furious roars. Unfortunately what he was saying wasn’t orders or ideas like he’d hoped – instead it was him venting his feelings. He sighed as he prepared to talk Thorin down long enough for them to get a plan together, because that’s what Fíli needed of them right then; level heads, calm temperaments and a good plan. 

He barrelled up the path and the front door swung open before he reached it, allowing him to catch a glimpse of his mother standing to the side before he skidded into the entryway. She was looking remarkably calm for someone whose son was missing, and so he wrapped her in his arms, drawing strength from her as best he could. 

Being held tightly by his mother was one of the few things that made him feel safe in life, and here it was no different; unfortunately her soft purrs were now tinged with the worry she felt for her eldest cub. 

He nuzzled into her neck, rumbling back and inhaling her soothing scent as he tried to still his racing heart. It worked like always, and as he started to calm he purred in contentment; going so far as to nip his mother’s ear when she pulled away. 

Dís swatted him over the back of the head, chuckling. “Naughty cub,” she muttered, before pressing a kiss to his brow. There was another roar that echoed noisily down the corridor and she sighed, exasperated. 

“Calm him down,” she instructed, squeezing his hand once before pulling away. “Then find your brother.” 

He nodded, taking a deep breath before heading into the danger zone. His mother was right; Thorin needed to be calm because his shouting wasn’t helping anyone, and more importantly it was wasting time they didn’t have. 

Time Fíli didn’t have. 

There was a soft rumble in his ear and he shook his head slightly, mentally placating the panther prowling at the edge of his senses. 

It was a dwarven secret, and likely the crux of the problem here. Since their creation, the royal family had been gifted the ability to shift into powerfully dangerous animals so as to better protect their kingdom from intruders. 

The secret was well kept by their people, but dwarves weren’t infallible. If word had gotten out of their shape shifting abilities, then it was likely why Fíli’s group had been targeted and why he was the only one missing. 

It wasn’t like they hadn’t been targeted before. 

The panther snarled, unhappy with being locked away which made him stop and sigh. Closing his eyes, Kíli took a deep breath before releasing it slowly; calming himself down to regain control of the panther and squash the itch to change that was hovering in the back of his mind. Frankly, he wanted to shift as much as his panther did, if only to let his anger be known - but he couldn’t. If he did, there was no telling when he might regain control. 

“We’ll find him,” he muttered, venturing further into the house and towards Thorin’s office. “We’ll find him and bring him home.” 

There was an angry chuff in response as the panther continued to prowl and observe, but nothing further which was a relief, all things considered. 

He pushed the door open and rolled his eyes at the devastation he was met with – his uncle’s usually tidy office looking like his wolf had gotten frustrated and gone gallivanting around the room, sending papers flying just so he didn’t have to do them anymore. 

It had happened before. Many times before. 

Dwalin was sitting in the chair in the corner, reading a book despite the objects that were being hurled his way, and deflecting the ones that got too close with a casual flick of his hand. Seeing the older dwarf still there was a relief; it meant he had back up should he need it – and with Thorin in one of his moods he could need anything. But as relieved as he was with Dwalin’s presence, it unfortunately meant he’d failed at talking Thorin down, and had instead chosen to ride the storm out. 

Which made his job ten times harder. 

The older dwarf looked up from his book at the sound of the door opening and sighed, shaking his head in exasperation – and wasn’t that a common occurrence when the dwarf was with his uncle – before setting the book aside, ready to step in if needed. 

Speaking of Thorin... 

“Uncle,” he said, announcing himself as he moved to the desk Thorin was leaning over, quiet for the moment. “Have you finished ranting or do we need to give you more time.” 

The older dwarf raised his head, and Kíli took a step back at the obsidian eyes that met his. Thorin’s wolf was a lot closer to the surface than he’d realised, and if he didn’t diffuse the situation quickly they would have a whole other issue on their hands. 

“It’s okay,” he told the older dwarf, voice soothing and calm. “We’ll find him and bring him home.” 

“They touched him,” Thorin snarled. “They took him.” 

“And we’re going to get him back,” he repeated slowly, eying his uncle worriedly. There was something slightly off in the way Thorin had spoken, something unnatural. 

“They touched him. They took him,” Thorin repeated. Kíli frowned as he looked his uncle over slowly; specifically his teeth and fingernails. Slightly elongated, sharper than usual... he bit down a curse when he realised exactly what was wrong. 

It wasn’t his uncle he was talking to, after all. It was the wolf. 

Dwalin seemed to realise it too. The warrior stood up suddenly, making Thorin snarl as his eyes darted to the other dwarf, assessing the threat. The challenge made Dwalin growl softly in reply, and Kíli shifted slightly, which was enough to draw the wolf’s attention back to him. 

They were suddenly in dangerous territory. While each of the royal family shared a body with their animal and a way to communicate with said animal, it didn’t necessarily mean they had any control; because at the end of the day, their creatures were still wild, still dangerous. 

And a shift that wasn’t initiated by the dwarf resulted in the primal part of the animal taking over which could take days, if not weeks, for the host to regain control.

Years if it went too far.

Thorin wasn’t completely gone, however, but he was quickly approaching the point of no return if Kíli didn’t do something about it immediately.

He waved Dwalin away but the dwarf ignored him; moving to his side and ensuring he was standing close enough to intercept the wolf with his own if needed.

“Thorin, you need to calm down,” he murmured, keeping his eyes focused on his Uncle’s mouth so he wasn’t making direct eye contact. The last thing he needed right then was to accidentally challenge the wolf when he was trying to calm him.

“Fíli needs you to focus, he needs his Uncle to find him.”

“They touched him. They took him.”

“I know,” he murmured. “I know. Thorin, you need to take control – you’re not helping Fíli like this. He needs you to focus.”

Thorin’s fingernails gouged into the desk, his uncle rippling with barely restrained fury.

Kíli groaned. He wasn’t getting through.

Alright then. Time for a different approach.

“Thorin!” he snapped. “Focus! Fíli needs us!”

“HE’S MY NEPHEW!”

“AND HE’S MY MATE!” Kíli roared back, eyes glinting and body shimmering as he teetered on the edge of shifting. Biting down his anger and the desire to change he did his best to sound calm. “I know you’re worried Thorin, I know you need your pack together again, but you need to relax.”

“THEY TOOK HIM! THEY TOOK HIM LIKE THEY TOOK FRERIN!”

And there it was, the root of his Uncle’s anger.

“Frerin is alive, Thorin!” he reminded the wolf desperately. “He might be trapped, but he’s alive, remember? If we don’t get Fíli back now, we might never see him again! Is that what you’d prefer?!”

His question had the desired effect.

Thorin hunched over his desk, his fingers digging into the wood as he groaned, desperately trying to regain control. It took a while, each inch the wolf withdrew filled with grunts and curses as Thorin fought the wolf back to the corner of his mind.

Dwalin, who was all too familiar with the violence of Thorin’s wolf and the shifts that accompanied it was there to catch his friend as his feet went out from under him. Guiding Thorin into his chair, Dwalin crouched beside him and tipped Thorin’s head up so he could get a look.

“Better?”

Thorin nodded wearily.

“Good.” He looked over to Kíli, knowing the boy was desperate to get going but unfortunately Fíli was just going to have to wait a little bit longer.

“Go fetch Frerin,” he said. “We’re going to need his help.”

Kíli nodded and hurried from the room, throwing one last worried look at his uncle before he disappeared.

With the boy gone he turned back to Thorin and shook his head, exasperated. “You’re going to force me into early retirement,” he muttered as he retook his seat. “I’m lucky I ain’t gone white like Balin already.”

That got a weak snort in response. He nodded, satisfied.

“Want a tea?”

“For the love of Mahal, get me something stronger,” Thorin rasped, his fingers massaging his temples as he got the first niggle of the headache that accompanied an unwilling shift. “Please.”

“Brandy it is then.”


	2. A Lingering Pain

**A/N: Hi again! Second chapter for all you lovely folk! Having a completed story to publish chapters for every few days is an awesome feeling! No stress to get chapters written and no guilt to feel when you haven't updated in who knows how long! I'm currently working on Ultimate Sacrifice, and have been doing so constantly as I want to get some of my blasted stories moved from the WIP category to completed! Guh.**

**I feel like I have to put a disclaimer in for child talk in this, cause I remember my very first published story had someone not so politely inform me I had no idea how children spoke and it put them off permanently. Despite the fact that I've always been surrounded by young children, courtesy of my mum working in home based care.**

**So. There is a bit of my version of child talk in here, and if anyone thinks an itty bitty dwarfling should have correct annunciation from such a young age, tough. Just so we're all prepared, okay? :)**

**As always, thanks to[KLeonard](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KLeonard), [Froot_Luips](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Froot_Luips), [KiliLover](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KiliLover), [Fiaxfour](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fiaxfour), [ktime](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ktime), [MrsOakensheild](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsOakensheild), [xNamikaze](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xNamikaze), [Bubbles759](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bubbles759), and [Iscalibtra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iscalibtra) as well as the 2 guests who've commented and kudosed - you guys are awesome!**

Kíli followed the path that led from their backyard into the forest, scrambling over the odd fallen tree and he made a note to come back with an axe in the near future to clear them. 

The trail itself wasn’t very long, only a couple hundred meters or so into the forest, but it led to a clearing that was frequented by his family when they wanted privacy and seclusion when they shifted; ensuring they wouldn’t be disturbed, and also ensuring the safety of their people – dwarflings in particular who might look like easy prey to a wild animal.

As he neared the opening he was met with a rolling rumble, and he smiled as he walked around the large rock wall they’d installed years ago – slipping between two overlapping rocks that formed the entrance.

It wasn’t all that hard to find his uncle.

Unsurprisingly, Frerin was on his favourite rock; belly in the air and limbs akimbo as he basked in the sun. At first glance it appeared his uncle was asleep, but when his tail flicked minutely Kíli knew immediately that while motionless, Frerin was most definitely awake.

Probably had been since he’d neared the clearing.

“Frerin.”

There was no movement save for a twitch of the ear, and he rolled his eyes. Fine.

He approached the rock, manoeuvring his way around his family’s favourite napping spots and only stopped for a split second to trail his hand over his brother’s before coming to a standstill by Frerin’s head, crossing his arms and looking at his uncle who was still feigning sleep.

“Frerin,” he said again. “Wakey wakey.”

The only response he got this time was an incredibly lazy bat of a paw at his stomach, and Kíli could almost picture what his Uncle was doing – a cheetah’s equivalent of a welcoming pat to the head.

He flicked his uncle’s ear. “Oi. I know you’re awake.”

The cheetah let out a yawn and slowly rolled onto his side, his back legs stretching out while the cat blinked at him lazily.

Kíli rolled his eyes.

“Are you done?” 

A single sniff with direct eye contact was all he got in response, and Kíli shook his head in exasperation.

How an animal could show so much attitude, he’d never know.

“You’re needed at the house,” he told the feline. “Thorin’s wolf is trying to take over again, and...” he exhaled slowly, trying to steady his voice as the reality of the situation crept up on him properly for the first time.

The reminder of what could happen to his brother if they didn’t get to him in time right in front of him.

“And... uh, Fíli’s missing. He never made it to Rohan.” The rumbling purr that had continued since he’d arrived turned to a low snarl. “We need your help. Please.”

The cheetah clambered to his feet, chuffed once before jumping off the rock and padded to the exit with Kíli right behind him.

* * *

Kíli and Frerin arrived at the house in record time, the pair thundering through the back door and skidding to a stop in the entry way.

“You’d think I’d learn not to try win a race against a cheetah as a dwarf,” Kíli panted, doubling over as he tried to regain his breath. “Durin’s balls.”

Frerin walked – or rather _strutted_ past, and smacked him in the face with a flick of his tail hard enough to send him stumbling back, spluttering at the mouthful of fur he just received.

“Real mature Frerin,” he huffed peevishly.

_“Kíli?”_

“In here mama.” As his breathing returning to normal Kíli shucked his coat and boots and placed both in the corner tidily - the last time he’d thrown them there carelessly had resulted in a wooden spoon over the head – and made his way to the kitchen where he could hear his mother bustling around.

“Kíli did you get – oh, hello Frer,” his mother continued. Kíli stuck his head around the corner and grinned as Frerin rubbed against his sister in greeting. 

Dís gave Frerin a scratch behind the ears and turned to her son, only to tut moments later when Frerin gently grabbed one of her hands with his teeth and tugged her to him. “Frerin,” she scolded, exasperated. “I need to talk with Kí – fine.” Knowing resisting was pointless she placed her hand on the cheetah’s head and buried her fingers in the fur, rubbing the scalp gently.

Sniggering at the sight, Kíli moved over to the table to see what his mother had been doing. 

“Even trapped like this, he still knows how to demand attention,” Dís said fondly. She shook her head before turning to her son. “We don’t know how long we’ll be, where we’re going or what state your brother will be in when we find him, so I’m packing light bags for all of us to carry with everything we might need.”

“We?” Kíli asked. “You’re coming too?”

“Of course I’m coming,” she scoffed, looking at him like he’d gone crazy. “I’d do the same if it were you.”

“But the town - ”

“The town will have Balin looking after it. In his words, ‘I’m too old to shift and travel long distances, and I would only slow you down trying to keep up.’” With one last scratch to her brother’s head she let her hand fall away so she could join her son at the table.

“It would have been good to have us all, but I wasn’t going to push him. Instead, Bofur and Nori will join us with the wagon; they left for Rohan ten minutes ago.”

“Fair enough,” Kíli murmured. He turned to his uncle who was sitting there, watching them patiently. “Can you go fetch Thorin and bring him here? We need to get moving.”

Frerin chuffed and padded out of the room, the cat’s nose twitching as he sniffed out his brother. Unfortunately, the way he turned gave both dwarves a good view of the large scarring on his left side. Kíli gnawed his bottom lip, fear washing over him as the memories of what caused those scars resurfaced for the first time in many years; knowing full well if they didn’t find him soon, Fíli could suffer a similar, if not worse, fate.

“Have faith, Gimlith,” his mother murmured, pulling him into her side. “We’ll find Fíli and we’ll get him back.”

“But what if he ends up trapped like Frerin?” he asked, voice trembling slightly. “What if we’re too late?”

Despite sharing a body and mind with them, the animals of the line of Durin were still wild. Still feral.

Allow your anger to take control, and your creature would come forward to fight the perceived threat. Suffer indescribable pain, too much for one body to handle and the strongest, most primeval parts of the animal would come forward – making it virtually impossible to communicate with the animal; regardless of whether you were in dwarf or shifted form when you tried.

That’s what happened to Frerin.

The dwarf had gone out at Thorin’s request to negotiate a trade agreement with a settlement several days away, taking Víali with him for company.

The trade talk itself had gone well, the pair securing contracts and forming good relationships with the town leader and her council. But the night before they were due to leave a group of bandits attacked the village; pillaging the stores and attempting to take the women.

If it had been a larger town then perhaps they would have stood a better chance at fighting the bandits off; unfortunately it was only a young settlement who preferred peace over war and so had little to defend them.

No one except Frerin and Víali.

The two dwarves had fought fiercely; working together seamlessly as they slaughtered their foe and protected the villagers. But even their best skill hadn’t stood up to the seemingly endless wave.

Víali took a deep gouge to the leg and several arrows to the torso, and his cry of pain had been all the incentive the cheetah needed to take over; bursting forth with a snarl and ripping the offending bandit to shreds.

The villager that rescued Víali and got him back to Ered Luin before he succumbed to his injuries told them that the last he’d seen of the cat had been when a bandit stabbed him in the side before pushing him into a burning house.

With heavy hearts, Thorin and a contingent of dwarves returned with the villager to retrieve their fallen prince but found no trace of him when they arrived. 

Frerin had escaped. But it would take five years before they would learn that.

At first it had been a glimpse of something in the bushes. Then a shadow moving past a window late at night.

It had been Fíli who had first spotted Frerin, and put two and two together.

Frerin had survived.

Not that the dwarfling told anyone straight away. No. At a mere ten years old Fíli had taken it upon himself to bring his uncle home; at first sneaking out late at night to leave bits of food for the cat he’d seen sneaking past his window, then to play with him, cub to cat, to get him used to the company of another again. All done by slipping in and out of the house without raising any alarms.

But Thorin and Dís had realised something was up when Fíli’s scent changed.

At first it was barely noticeable; deserving of little more than an extra twitch of the nose before shrugging it off as a cub likely rolling in something he shouldn’t be, despite the fact Kíli never smelled like that - and the boys were inseparable.

But then the months rolled by, and his scent soon became overpowered by another. The new scent wasn’t awful, but the fact it was there at all stressed them greatly - especially when they had no explanation for it. But no matter how many times they asked him, the boy just shrugged and said he wasn’t sure what they were talking about.

Each time was said with puppy eyes and such an innocent voice they struggled to find a reason not to believe him.

_One night, about six months after they realised something was going on, Thorin and Dís were up late discussing their blond’s antics and what could possibly be causing it when a soft puff of fresh air wafted through the living room. The pair froze before getting up silently and headed to the front door where they watched a certain young, very much soon to be grounded cub scamper across the yard and into the forest._

_Not a word was said, the pair shifting to their own animals; Thorin’s strong, agile black as night wolf, and Dís’ lithe, powder white snow leopard._ _They padded from the house and followed Fíli silently; both grateful they were downwind so he wouldn’t smell them coming._

_The cub led them to what they knew was a nearby clearing and so they hung back, the pair waiting and listening to what was happening up ahead._

_It was silent for a while, before a small yowl met their ears._

_Wolf and snow leopard shared a look, their eyes communicating amusement because it was the same yowl Fíli used when he pounced on something; be it his brother, his uncle or mother, a piece of string or a circle of light on the living room floor._

_Fíli continued his yowling as he tackled... whatever it was he was tackling, before his playful noises quickly turned into ones of annoyance._ _Taking that as their cue, Thorin and Dís crept forward – slinking silently to an opening in the bushes and stopped dead at what they saw._

_There, in the centre of the clearing and illuminated by moonlight was a cheetah. A cheetah that had a certain young cub between its paws and was subjecting it to a thorough washing._

_Fíli mewled his displeasure even as a broad tongue ran over his face, the cub chuffing irritably as he tried to squirm free._ _At first, neither wolf nor snow leopard moved as they watched the wild cheetah bathe the boy; neither animal breathing for fear of startling the creature that held their cub._

_The only explanation they could think of was that Fíli must’ve come across the cheetah one day and mistook it for a Shifter; believing it to be the same as them. While admirable, it was downright dangerous as the dwarfling could’ve gotten himself killed._

_The only cheetah that was a shifter was long since dead; murdered and thrown into the fire to dispose of so he couldn’t be buried and mourned properly._

_Frerin’s fate still stung, even to this day, but Thorin pushed down the pain of his lost brother and tried to work out the best way of freeing Fíli without getting him killed._

_Beside him, Dís stiffened, and Thorin’s heart sank; his eyes trained on the cheetah that was about to end his nephew’s life._ _But that intent focus on the creature made him pause, blink, then freeze. He could see what his sister had seen, and it wasn’t the death of her child._

_It was the markings on the cat’s face. The very familiar markings._

_One of them must’ve made a noise, because the cat went from relaxed to alert; ears tilting back, hackles raising as he let out a low snarl._

_Fíli looked up at the cat, before looking into the bushes and, while his eyes still weren’t as good as they soon would be, he must’ve realised who was there because he got as guilty an expression as a cub could get on his face._

_Knowing they’d been spotted, Thorin and Dís pushed through the shrub slowly; terrified of startling the cheetah._

_Or rather, Frerin._

_The snarling didn’t stop, but it did quieten slightly - the sound tinged with what was undoubtedly confusion at the sight of them._ _There was no recognition in the cat’s eyes, but he wasn’t openly hostile to them which had to count for something._

_Right?_

_Ignoring her somehow undead brother for a moment, Dís locked eyes with her eldest and chuffed at him sharply; narrowing her eyes at the cub._

_Knowing he’d well and truly been caught, Fíli should have slunk to his waiting mother with his tail between his legs and the most chagrined expression on his face. Instead, much to her amused irritation, the brat slapped both his front paws on one of Frerin’s and chirped at her, as though happy to show her what he’d found._

_Fíli was grounded until the day he died, there was no doubt about it._

_The cheetah - Frerin – looked down at the cub and snorted heavily, ruffling Fíli’s now ridiculously clean fur. Fíli, unimpressed, mewled and nipped Frerin’s jaw as payback. The fact that Frerin let it happen indicated to the other two shifters that this was a common occurrence._

_And that was too much for Thorin to bear._ _Shifting back to dwarven form, he took a single step forward; his expression devastated and his voice wrecked when he spoke._

_“Frerin?”_

_Faster than they could blink, the cheetah let out a snarl, took Fíli by the scruff and sprinted into the forest; easily outpacing them and disappearing into the night with a yowling cub in his grasp._

_Thorin shifted and they gave chase, but it was no use – Frerin was already leagues ahead, and with the vast forest surrounding them they stood little chance in catching up._

_Grief-stricken, they returned home; the pair mourning for the brother that wasn’t as dead as they’d believed but was once again lost, and for Fíli - who they doubted they’d ever see alive again._

_But if they were grief-stricken, then Kíli was inconsolable._

_He barely slept; waking them all nightly screaming for his brother. He wouldn’t eat, although the dwarfling did try negotiating with them: he’d eat if they brought his Fee back to him. Trying to explain to a five-year old that his brother was gone, and probably wouldn’t be coming back was almost impossible; but try they did – although actually getting Kíli to understand was another matter entirely._

_All that was left to do was try and bring back some semblance of normality even as they grieved._

_A week after the forest, Dís and Thorin were once again in the living room late in the evening, this time with Dwalin and Balin to discuss what had happened and what they should do when they were startled from their sombre discussions by claws dragging down the front door._

_Confused, and more than a little worried, Thorin and Dwalin took up arms before the four of them approached the door; hearts thundering in their chests._ _Thorin had only intended to crack it open enough to peer out into the darkness, but threw it open pretty quickly when he realised just what was sitting on the doorstep._

_“Fíli?!”_

_There, on the doorstep was their cub – blinking sleepily at them and looking no worse for wear._ _The sleepiness faded quickly though; the cub’s eyes widening at the sight of them before Fíli’s head whipped around and he let out an indignant mewl – going so far as to stand and head back to the forest._

_“Oh no you don’t.”_

_Lightning fast, Thorin dropped his sword and snagged the cub by the scruff of the neck, hauling him back into the safety of his mother’s arms._ _Fíli grumbled loudly at the treatment, but didn’t try to fight them; nuzzling under his mother’s jaw in greeting._

_“You are in so much trouble,” Dís told her son, voice trembling even as she hugged him tightly. “Mahal how I missed you.”_

_There was a quick lick to her neck in apology before the kit turned back to the nearby shrubs and let out another indignant mewl – which was responded to by a low rumbling._

_All four dwarves gasped softly as a pair of eyes, illuminated by the moonlight shone through the bush before disappearing. It was Frerin, and he’d returned their boy; going so far as to make sure he was in their arms before leaving._

_It killed Thorin not to follow his brother. His brother who had been injured and alone for so long, and who still, even now wouldn’t return home. But right now he had a dwarfling to ground, so Frerin would have to wait. He just hoped he’d stick around long enough for him to try and bring his brother home._

_Shutting the door softly so as not to wake Kíli – assuming the boy was still asleep with the amount of noise Fíli had made – he followed Dís back to the living room with Balin and Dwalin on his heels._

_Dís for her part strode over to the fire and began examining her cub; running her fingers firmly through his fur searching for open or recent wounds before checking his torso and limbs for injury._

_Nothing. Absolutely nothing._

_“He’s okay,” she muttered, her voice tinged with surprise. “Frerin didn’t hurt him.”_

_“You thought he would?”_

_Dís turned to Balin, exasperated. “Frerin has been missing for years. He didn’t recognise us when we were in the clearing; all he knew was that Fíli was with us. He could’ve killed him, but he didn’t.” Turning back to her cub, she buried her face in his fur. “I can’t even begin to describe how much trouble you’re in.”_

_Speaking of._

_Extending his hand, Dís withdrew enough for Thorin to bury his fingers in Fíli’s scruff and haul him over. Rather than hold the boy against his chest like he wanted to, he held Fíli up so they were face to face._

_“Fíli. You need to change form; we’re going to have a talk about your friend.”_

_When Fíli stayed as he was, Thorin raised an eyebrow at him. Fíli blinked. He narrowed his eyes. Fíli batted him across the face, mewling playfully._

_“FEE!”_

_Sighing heavily, Thorin turned just as his five year old squealing nephew barrelled into his legs._

_“Nothing’s going to happen now, Thorin,” Dís sighed as both cub and child squirmed, trying to reach the other. “We’ll have to deal with this tomorrow.”_

_Shaking his head and restraining the urge to place his own kiss atop the club’s head – he was not going to get off that easily, the brat – he lowered his nephew to the floor. Free, Fíli pounced on Kíli who had shifted to his panther and the two cubs chased each other around the living room; moving at such ridiculous speeds the adults quickly made their way to the couches so they wouldn’t be tripped by a yellow and black blur._

_“Well if yer had any doubts as to whether the boy was okay, they should be gone now,” Dwalin said, picking up his ale once again and downing half of it in one go. “I doubt they’ll be sleeping anytime soon.”_

_A mess of limbs and tails rolled past as someone tackled their brother, and they all raised their legs to let them past; shaking their heads at the squeals that erupted from the pair._

_“What do we do, now that we know Frerin is alive?” Balin asked. “He’s a risk to our people if he’s as feral as you say, but hunters are also a risk to him.”_

_“We need a pen or something to keep him in,” Dwalin mused. “Somewhere to put him so he’s safe until he changes back.”_

_“We’re not putting him in a pen,” Thorin muttered, shaking his head in disgust. “But it gives me an idea of what to do with the clearing out the back.”_

_Over the next few weeks Thorin, Dwalin and several stone masons moved boulders into the forest and built a wall in the clearing; all of them careful to stick together as they moved back and forth because all of them could tell they were being watched._

_Frerin had stayed. He’d remained as a cheetah, but he was there all the same._

_Flashes of the cat were often spotted in the upper boughs of the trees; the flick of a tail or glimpse of spots as he moved. He never moved closer to them, or the ground, but his presence made hope bloom ever so faintly in Thorin’s heart that maybe one day his brother would come home._

_Fíli for his part had stayed in his animal form the entire time. Which probably had something to with the fact he was now being kept on a tight leash and couldn’t go anywhere without one of the adults following him._

_Plus he was avoiding THAT talk._

_If Dís and Thorin couldn’t watch him, then it was Dwalin or Balin. Or Gloin, Oin, Bifur, Bombur or Dori. Or pretty much any adult Thorin or Dís dumped him and Kíli on for the day because there was no way he was staying unsupervised for the next twelve decades._

_Personally Thorin didn’t think that was long enough, but it was a starting point at least._

_It just happened to be Oin the boys were with the day they managed to slip away to the forest; Fíli leading his brother to the tree the big cat was sitting in and looking over the currently empty clearing. With a chirp of delight, he began to climb – Kíli quick to follow._

_Thorin had been held up at a council meeting all morning, so by the time he’d been able to leave it had long passed midday and he was itching to get back to the forest. They were so close to finishing the enclosure they’d built; so close to Frerin having his own home close to theirs until he was comfortable with changing back and re-joining them as a dwarf. He knew it could take a while, but it was a start. And he was willing to wait._

_The clearing also had a number of large rocks for the rest of the family to enjoy when they wanted to shift and lull about as their animal, and there was one rock in particular his wolf had its eye on – so he was looking forward to shifting and sleeping on it once everything was complete._

_Making it home in record time he shed his formal attire and changed into a loose tunic and boots that would stand up against any accidentally dropped boulders before ambling down the path to the clearing. When he got there, he felt his heart leap into his mouth when he found Frerin sitting on a rock and looking as unimpressed as a cheetah could._

_It probably had something to do with the two cubs hanging off his side, mewling fiercely as they tried to take him down._

_The sight would have been hilarious, if it wasn’t so terrifying._

_Frerin looked up when he gasped, and instead of taking off like he had last time he stood and stalked towards him; oblivious to the two yowling cubs who were now clinging to his pelt for dear life._

_Staying completely still, Thorin could barely breathe when Frerin stopped not three feet in front of him. It was then that he looked Thorin dead in the eye, a scowl on his face before he grabbed first Kíli, then Fíli and dumped the pair at his feet. The cat looked at the cubs, then at him pointedly before shaking his head and stalking off with a huff._

_He... didn’t know what to make of that, if he were honest._

_But then he thought about it for a second and snorted. If it had been Frerin as a dwarf who’d looked at him like that, the meaning would have been clear. ‘For the love of Mahal, control your nephews’._

_“Alright you two,” he grumbled, grabbing the cubs by the scruff and hauling them off the ground. Neither protested, although Fíli looked rather unimpressed at once again being away from the cheetah, going so far as to look over his shoulder and screech indignantly at the retreating cat._

_That made two of them._

_“We’re going to have a talk when we get home,” he told them, settling the brothers against his shoulders and marching back down the path he’d just come off. So much for relaxing this afternoon. “We’re going to discuss what happens to dwarflings who disobey adults and go out by themselves.”_

_Grumbles echoed in his ears and despite himself, he smirked. No, the boys weren’t going to enjoy this conversation at all._

_The moment Dís laid eyes on Thorin leaving the forest with a cub slung over each shoulder she sighed and shook her head, the worry that had gripped her when Oin had told her the boys had gone missing dissipating immediately._

_They were in so much trouble._

_She held the door open for him and he marched in, keeping his grip on the two cubs who perked up and mewled at her in greeting, which stopped quickly when she quirked an eyebrow at them, unimpressed._

_“They haven’t stopped grumbling the whole walk,” Thorin told her as he walked through to the living room. “Bring_ it _out please, Dís.”_

_She nodded and fetched the cage that had been in their family for generations, and couldn’t help but smirk when her sons began screeching in protest at the sight of it._

_“Naughty cubs get put in the timeout crate,” Thorin reminded them, his fingers back in their scruffs as he pried them from his shoulders. Well. He tried to. When the boys dug their claws in Dís sighed and dislodged them from her brother’s leather, ignoring the betrayed looks she was given as first Kíli, then Fíli were plonked inside and the lid shut._

_The crate was big enough for dwarflings to shift to their dwarven form and stand up, but the gap between bars was too small for cubs to slip through the cracks. In other words, it had seen more shifters in timeout than it was probably intended for._

_The line of Durin was not known for behaving themselves in their youth._

_No sooner was the lid shut then Kíli was back to normal; sitting on his butt with his arms crossed over his chest and a particularly Thorin-esque scowl on his little face. Thorin had to cover how impressed he was by raising an eyebrow at his glaring nephew._

_“Uncle!” the five year old scolded him. “‘snot vewy nice. I dun like the cwate!”_

_“It’s not very nice running away from Oin when you were told to stay put and scaring him,” he replied calmly, crossing to the fire and taking a seat that faced away from the boys. “But you ran away, so naughty dwarflings get put in time out. You know this, Kíli.”_

_“‘Snot fair,” Kíli grumbled, watching as his mother handed his uncle a cup of tea. “We told him bye.”_

_It took everything in his power not to snort the tea he’d just sipped out his nose, but oh did it burn._

_Thorin threw his sister a glance and saw she was biting her lip to stifle her own laugh. Once she got herself under control she jammed her hands on her hips and turned to face her sons. “Whispering under your breath doesn’t count, you toad.”_

_Kíli fluffed up indignantly. “‘scuse you! I’m a panther mama! ‘m not a frog!”_

_“Pretty certain I see a naughty little toadling in that crate. What about you, brother?”_

_Thorin pretended to think about it for a moment, going so far as to get out of his chair and crouch in front of his nephews, scratching his chin. “Definitely a little toad,” he said eventually before going to sit down again. With his back turned, he could grin openly at his nephew’s irritated squawk of protest._

_“‘M not! Tell ‘em, Fee!”_

_Hopeful, Thorin looked at the crate, but unfortunately Fíli stayed in his animal form. With a shake of his head he turned his chair around so it faced his nephews and looked at them both steadily. As entertaining as it was to wind Kíli up, they needed answers for what was happening, and now that Kíli was in the thick of this with Fíli he’d hopefully be able to provide them with some._

_“You understand why you’re in there, don’t you Kíli,” he began, ensuring his voice wasn’t so stern it frightened the boy, but firm enough he knew he was no longer playing. “The cheetah you were playing with today could be dangerous, which we’ve told you, and yet you went to him anyway.”_

_Kíli shook his head. “He’s not dangrus, uncle. Just grumpy. Like you!”_

_He pursued his lips, not sure if he should laugh or be offended. “Be that as it may, you and Fíli were told not to go near him, but you did.”_

_“But he needs help uncle,” the brunet pleaded, confusing him. Frerin needed help?_

_“What do you mean Nûlukhel?” Dís asked, joining her brother and crossing her arms over her chest._

_“He’s... um...” when the brunet looked at his brother, it wasn’t like he was guilty that he was about to reveal some big secret; rather like he was unsure – like he didn’t know what to say._

_The cub, who had been sitting there looking at them calmly since entering the crate rolled his eyes, and for the first time since disappearing, Fíli was sitting in front of them._ _The dwarfling was utterly dishevelled and probably in need of a good brushing, but he was sitting in front of them all the same._

_“He -” the boy coughed, his voice hoarse from disuse. “Uncle Frerin’s stuck.”_

_He and Dís shared a look. “What do you mean stuck?”_

_“He was hurt, so the cheetah took over to look after him. But he can’t change back; the cheetah won’t let him cause it’s trying to protect him.”_

_This was a first._

_“Have you ever heard of this happening?” Dís asked him quietly. “I don’t recall it being in any of my lessons.”_

_“I haven’t, no.” He turned back to Fíli, the two boys’ busy working on one of the many knots in his hair. It was going to take an age to get those out, he thought idly. “Fíli, how do you know this? Did Frerin tell you?”_

_The boy shook his head, which only confused him further._

_“He can’t talk, not – ow, not really. It’s more, um, whispers? Single words? The longer I’ve been shifted, the more I can talk to him. Kind of.”_

_“Must be because they’re both cats,” Dís muttered thoughtfully._

_“You haven’t heard him,” he reminded his sister, grief washing over him when he realised that because he and Frerin were separate species he’d never be able to talk to his brother in his wolf form._

_It hurt, by Mahal did it hurt, but he pushed the pain down to be dealt with another time._

_“I’ve barely spent any time around him as my leopard,” she replied, squeezing his shoulder gently. His sister had always been too perceptive for her own good. “It’s different to how it used to be, because I could talk with him back then. But that was because he’d shifted willingly – not been forced to the back like he is.”_

_“I guess we just have to convince the cheetah that Frerin’s safe, and he’ll be able to change back.”_

It didn’t work.

They’d tried everything to show the cheetah that Frerin was no longer in danger; that it was safe for him to return to dwarf form and come home, but the cat wouldn’t budge.

As the years rolled by the cheetah lost its hostility towards them – a lot of that was thanks to Fíli’s persistent friendliness – and he spent more time in their house than out of it. His understanding of what they were saying and doing grew, which all the cat shifters told Thorin was because Frerin’s mind appeared to be returning, rather than a faint presence at the back of the cat’s mind.

But Frerin wouldn’t, _couldn’t_ change back.

It was like he was there, but trapped behind bars that he couldn’t escape. Thorin had his brother back; just in a form he could never communicate with.

“I know where your mind’s at, inùdoy,” his mother said, and Kíli blinked – refocusing on what was happening around him. “But it won’t be like what happened to Frerin; it won’t take years until we find him and bring him home, only a few days.” 

“A few days too many,” he replied quietly. He just wanted to be on the road already - so where in Mahal’s name was Thorin? 

As though knowing he was being thought about, Thorin walked into the kitchen; Frerin head butting him in the knees to get him to move faster and Dwalin not too far behind. “Than – _thank you_ Frerin,” the older dwarf tutted, exasperated as he was more or less shoved through the doorway by the cat. “Are we set?”

“Aye,” Dís replied, waving a hand at the supplies laid out on the table. “I just need to put them into bags and onto our backs, and then we’re good to go.”

“Let’s get it done, then. The sooner they’re sorted, the sooner we can head off.”

With a nod, Dís squeezed Kíli’s shoulder and the pair quickly packed everything that was there; ensuring the tops were tied shut tightly before handing them out.

Just as they were finishing up the front door opened and Balin entered with a raven perched on his shoulder. The bird squawked indignantly the sight of Frerin - the cat retaliated by licking his lips; which had Thorin sighing and sticking his hand in Frerin’s face.

“Ravens are not food,” he told his brother for what felt like the hundredth time. “Stop looking at it like that.”

Frerin grunted and sat down with a huff but didn’t take his eyes off the bird. He’d get that bird one day.

“Honestly,” Thorin sighed.

“Bofur and Nori are on their way,” Balin announced to the room at large. “Oin’s given them additional medical supplies so that you’re not underprepared when you find Fíli, as well as extra food should you be away longer than planned.”

Dís nodded gratefully. “I think we’ll be fine for food as we’ll be able to hunt, but the extra medicine is appreciated.” She had worried about the limited amount of medicinal supplies they were carrying, but she was glad to see Oin had come up with a solution for that. “The wagon has cover to hide him, I take it.”

“Aye, it’s Bofur’s merchant wagon, so he’ll be enclosed; to hide him and keep him locked up for his safety.”

“Is that wise?” Kíli asked as he finished with his bag. “Shouldn’t he be in an open one?”

“We don’t know how he’ll react when we find him,” Thorin reminded him. “It’s better to keep him in something he can’t escape from.”

“I don’t like it.”

“Nor do I, but I’d prefer a bit of discomfort to losing him for good because of oversight on our part.”

Kíli sighed, unable to argue with that logic. It still rankled him though.

“We all understand how you feel, laddie,” Balin sympathised, clapping him on the shoulder. “The thought of being caged against my will makes me shudder, but it’s for the best.” The older dwarf turned to his king and waved a hand at the bird on his shoulder. “I’ll be sending the raven to the Nori shortly, but I wanted to know which way you’ll go so that he can find you.”

“We’ll head through the forest to start with; it’s the fastest way as we don’t have to follow the road around the mountains and will save time. Once we reach the crossroads we’ll probably follow it direct.”

The raven squawked and ruffled its feathers, showing it understood how to find them. Balin noted Thorin’s directions on a piece of parchment and slid the instructions in the small canister attached to the bird’s leg before opening the door; the raven taking off with a final cry.

“They’ll likely remain a couple of days behind you, at least until they reach the crossroads,” Balin told them. “It won’t take too long for them to catch up after that.”

As the bags were finished, the dwarves took one each and strapped them snugly to their backs before shifting to their animal forms; the packs settling nicely so their movement wouldn’t be hampered as they ran.

Thorin was the only one who remained unchanged; he and Balin making minor adjustments as needed before opening the door and stepping aside. As usual, his family all charged for the exit; and as usual they got themselves jammed by trying to leave all at once.

“Every time,” he muttered, sticking his hands into the fray to pull animals back enough to unstick them and get them outside.

Balin chuckled at Dwalin’s grumbling; the wolf having been forced to the back by Kíli and Frerin as he followed the younger cats outside. Walking around the group, he and Thorin double checked the packs to ensure none had come loose during their hasty exit – the last thing they needed was to be stuck with a broken strap halfway through their trip.

Satisfied everything was as ready as it could be, Balin shut the door to the house before clasping arms with Thorin. “Bring him home,” he told his king solemnly. “Mahal bless and good running.”

“We will.” Giving his friend and advisor one final nod, Thorin turned to look at the shifters prowling before him. Whoever had been foolish enough to take one of their own was about to learn the true power of the line of Durin. “Let’s get our boy back,” he told them.

Howls and roars answered him as he changed, and with a last shared look they all charged into the forest.

“Good hunting and good fortune,” Balin muttered. “And good luck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nûlukhel – moon of all moons  
> inùdoy - son


	3. The Strength of the Pack

**A/N: Sorry about the hold up lovely peeps! The plan of a quick read through before posting had me humming and ha-ing over a big section of this chapter for a couple of days. I wasn't too pleased with it, and thought "eh, I'm sure it'll be fine", but then stopped myself because I knew that if I wasn't happy with it, then I couldn't expect anyone else to be either. So back to the cutting room we went, and ho boy did the first half get a make over. It grew by over 400 words! And this is a chapter I'm more than happy to publish :) So thanks for the patience, but I only wanted to give you guys the best!**

**Also, good news is I've finished writing the next chapter of Ultimate Sacrifice :D So that should be out soon. Woot!**

**Special shout out to[eldhraun](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eldhraun), [fkuz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fkuz), [karebear119](https://archiveofourown.org/users/karebear119), [Lionsmane](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lionsmane), [islandkate](https://archiveofourown.org/users/islandkate), [Cherokee Rose (Morcanta)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morcanta), [ThornyHedge](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThornyHedge), [MissCallaLilly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissCallaLilly), [KLeonard](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KLeonard), [Froot_Luips](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Froot_Luips), [KiliLover](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KiliLover), [Fiaxfour](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fiaxfour), [ktime](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ktime), [MrsOakensheild](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsOakensheild), [xNamikaze](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xNamikaze), [Bubbles759](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bubbles759), and [Iscalibtra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iscalibtra) as well as the 8 guests who've commented and kudosed, you guys are awesome, and the reason I keep writing for this fandom <3**

* * *

It was on the fourth night that they found the camp.

With strength and stamina behind them, the Shifters were able to run long distances without tiring; forests, rivers and mountains barely causing them hindrance as they made their way to Rohan’s borders. Sleep and meals occurred in the heart of the forest or deep within a cave during the peak of the day to ensure they remained hidden from any travellers; and when the sun once again started creeping towards the horizon they set off – energy restored and determination building to an inferno.

A twin to the determination that gave flight to each footstep, the desperation they felt of getting to Fíli and bringing him home slowly began to grow. That desperation pushed them a little bit further, a little bit faster towards their goal; each Shifter blowing through the physical and mental limitations they thought they had long since realised - and still they kept going.

Apparently pain meant little in the face of saving one of their own.

As they’d run through the forest, their mismatched pack had spread out in a line; each animal enjoying the freedom offered to stretch claws and limbs without colliding with the other, and revelling in the chance to run without restraint. The earth was soft beneath their paws; the dirt and dead foliage cushioning each footfall as they moved at speed through the trees and silencing what would have been thunderous pounding on the main road – the muted sounds ensuring no one heard them until they wanted them to.

The freedom of running in a line meant that the cheetah’s natural speed put him at the head of the pack; the cat leading the charge and identifying the best way to go long before the others could.

By being ahead, it also meant Frerin was also the first to sense something far removed from the sounds and smells of the forests they’d been surrounded by for the past few days.

Digging his claws in, the cheetah sent up a cloud of dirt and leaves as he slid to a stop, his nose twitching and ears turning quickly. The rest of the pack stopped immediately; none moving so much as an inch as the cat assessed the situation.

Eventually focusing on a single spot, Frerin chuffed before padding forward; his paws silent on the mossy earth as he began to move quickly once again. Sharing a look between them the others began to follow, and it wasn’t long before they scented what Frerin had.

Smoke.

It was faint at first, but enough to show them they were heading in the right direction; and it took another hour before they finally came across the campsite.

There was, of course, a chance that the campsite they’d just discovered belonged to innocent travellers, which meant they had to proceed cautiously. The last thing they wanted or needed was to attack innocents who would then call for their blood should they discover the true nature of their attackers.

Inching forwards while sticking to the shadows, the Shifters began scenting the air; their noses providing the information their eyes could not when they were still too far away.

Charred pine.

Burning meat.

The musk of unwashed men.

And a scent that was undeniably Fíli.

Lips curled into snarls when they picked up the soft waft of Fili’s scent, but no sound escaped them. They were of the Line of Durin. They were blessed with the ability to Shift to protect their people - they were also the stuff of nightmares; predators hiding within the shadows and ready to strike those that had wronged them.

And oh, how these people had wronged them.

With the knowledge they were in the right area, they stalked silently towards outer fringes of the clearing; their predatory nature naturally melting them into the surrounding darkness so as to better assess the situation they faced.

A dozen fighters – bandits, by the looks of their clothing - all armed and spread amongst the clearing was all that stood between them and their goal. Their weapons were either in their laps or close by and they certainly weren’t being quiet; obviously believing they weren’t at risk of being followed, and the large campfire that crackled away in their midst showed they cared little if they were spotted.

If there’d been any doubt in their minds about whether they were in the right place or not, the fire easily proved they were - because there, unmoving and heavily bound in chains at the base of a tree, was Fíli.

With the way the flames danced over his pelt, it was hard to tell if Fíli was alive – the mix of shadow and light playing games with their eyes so much so that no one in the pack was able to look at him for long. Sprawled on his side with his back to them, the only way they’d truly know if he was okay was then they got close to him.

A cry of a bird split the night air above them, and the Shifters looked up to see their raven circle once before disappearing. The fact the bird had kept pace with them meant that Nori and Bofur weren’t far behind. The pair must’ve found a path that went direct enough they were able to keep pace with them so they weren’t forced to wait for too long for help to arrive.

The raven had been a simple way of signalling the distance between them and the wagon without having to shift; unless Nori and Bofur were close, they wouldn’t see the bird because it had been instructed to never venture further than a few miles from the pair.

Help was coming, which meant they had to get the one they’d come for.

“Feckin’ bird,” one of the bandits nearby growled in disgust, refocusing the shifters’ attention. “Gave me a damn heart attack.”

“Pity yer didn’t drop dead,” the bandit closest to them muttered under his breath. The man was relieving himself; and it could’ve been so easy to grab him, but they’d have lost the element of surprise and Fíli would be put at greater risk.

Several bandits had passed the prone cat, but he hadn’t reacted, hadn’t so much as twitched – and it was still too hard to tell from this distance whether their mission was going to be a rescue or recovery. As a group, they all looked to Thorin. It was his decision how they proceeded; his choice whether they killed them all quickly or made them suffer for their crimes. The wolf looked at them all, then pointedly to the left and right. Nodding, they fanned out – not a whisper of sound made as they surrounded the bandits, and waited.

* * *

Thorin watched as the rest of his group settled into position before he moved closer to the bandit looking into the trees. He was still out of the man’s sight, but a few inches closer and his eyes would soon reflect the light of the fire.

He wasn’t ready for that just yet.

Peering at the ground, he found a twig that was thin enough to break, but big enough to make a decent noise when it did so. He waited until the man looked away before stepping on it, and smirked when the man’s head whipped back towards his general direction.

There was another snap, this time on the opposite side of the clearing, and the man turned to face it; his hand falling to the hilt of his sword. His skittishness attracted the attention of his companions, although none seemed to be alarmed just yet, which was exactly what Thorin wanted.

“Relax yer idiot,” someone drawled. “It’s probably a squirrel or som’in.”

There was another snap in a different area again, followed by another opposite that one and the bandits finally started looking more alert; fingering their weapons as they looked nervously towards the trees.

“Tha’ seem like a squirrel to you?”

Thorin looked to his left, where he could just make out Dís, and to his right where he could just see Dwalin. Both shifters were watching him, waiting for his next move. He laid down and crawled forwards; satisfied when the pair looked on their opposite side to get the attention of the other two before mimicking him.

“What the _fuck_?!”

The bandit he’d been closest to was looking right at him fearfully; now able to see his eyes as he slowly drew his sword – probably hoping to not alarm whatever creature he thought he faced as he prepared to defend himself.

He was in for a surprise.

There were several other cries of alarm, and with a brief glance Thorin could make out four other sets of eyes in the treeline.

“Yer still think its fuckin’ squirrels?!”

“Yer all fuckwits if yer think its bloody _squirrels!_ ”

“Whatever the fuck it is, we’re surrounded!”

Satisfied the bandits were suitably alarmed and worked up, he started growling; lowly at first, just enough as a warning which was quickly joined by four other deep, threatening rumbles.

“What the fuck?!”

“These aren’t bloody squirrels!”

“No _shit_!”

With slow, deliberate movements, Thorin got to his feet. His wolf – as well as Dwalin’s – was twice the size of an average wolf; which meant he could use his full height to terrify his enemy. And that’s exactly what he did. While he might not have been able to match the bandit’s height, he could tell by the cowering, whimpering mess before him that a snarling, ready to strike wolf melting out of the trees was obviously terrifying.

There was a shriek, and with a quick glance he just caught sight of a pair of legs that were dragged into the bush opposite him. That was the only warning anyone had before all hell broke loose.

A blur of yellow streaked through the clearing; Frerin taking a squealing bandit with him as he disappeared.

A flash of white and silver as Dís dragged her own target into the bush.

Dwalin pounced on the bandit closest to him, not even bothering to remove him from the campsite as he clamped down on the man’s neck; a quick whip of his head resulting in him tearing the man’s throat out.

Kíli didn’t even bother with solitary, calculated kills - the panther leaping onto a group who had clustered together to better defend themselves and hamstringing four men in quick succession; sending them shrieking to the ground. Without pause he knocked their weapons away before ripping into them with sadistic gusto.

For his part, Thorin also didn’t bother going for an outright kill.

He pounced on his bandit, and after knocking the sword out of the man’s hand he sat on him; placing his face nice and close as he snarled loudly. The smell of piss and excrement was sharp in the air, and he doubted it was only from those his pack was playing with.

With screams of the dying still echoing around them, he shifted back to his dwarven form and smirked at the terrified confusion in the man’s eyes.

“What are you?!”

“I am death,” he replied quietly, wrapping a hand around the bandit’s neck and applying just enough pressure that his breathing became laboured, but not cut off completely. “I am what comes for those who attack others with little care for the damage they cause.”

“We d-didn’ damage n-nuthin’!”

Thorin turned the man’s head so that he could see a still unmoving Fíli. “Really? Why did you take him?” he asked softly, placing his lips close to the bandit’s ear so he didn’t miss the question. “What did you want with him?”

“Boss wanted it for its pelt,” the bandit grunted, wincing when the pressure on his neck tightened. “S-said it’d fetch a h-high price!”

“But his pelt is damaged – you weren’t gentle when you took him.” They hadn’t been. Now that he was closer he could see Fíli was riddled with a myriad of cuts; ranging from shallow sword nicks to several deep gashes that left bloodied trails down his back. He squeezed tightly; denying the man air for several seconds to show what he thought of that answer before releasing with a snarl. “Try again.”

When the bandit looked at him defiantly, he tightened his hold again until the man started struggling; his eyes began to bug out and his skin slowly turned a motley purple. He waited until it looked like his new friend was on the verge of passing out before he slackened his hold. “WHAT DID YOU WANT WITH HIM?!”

Spluttering, the man caved in the face of not being able to breathe again. “B-boss heard r-rumours of Shifters! S-spotted this one’s g-group passing us in for-forest! W-was just going to r-rob, then he ch-changed! B-boss knew of s-someo-one wanting sh-shifters, would p-pay a h-high price!”

Thorin exhaled slowly. Despite every effort to keep their existence a secret, one of his greatest fears was true. There were rumours out there about them; rumours and someone willing to pay good money. It angered him, to know that all the effort they’d made to avoid knowledge of their existence being spread had been for nothing, and as much as he wanted to let that anger be known right then – he couldn’t. He had other, more pressing matters to deal with.

Besides, once they were home he could deal with it how he wanted – which meant Nori and Bofur would be the ones who had their work cut out for them to figure out exactly who knew what and eliminate anyone that was actively hunting them, or knew enough about them to one day be a threat. Innocents might die, but that was a compromise he was willing to make for the safety of his family. Of course, that would all come later; for now they needed to get to Fíli and get him home.

“That’s a-all I know, I swear!”

Glancing up he assessed the situation before looking back at the bandit. “I believe you,” he told the man as he stood and got off him, even going so far as to offer him a hand up before moving out of the way.

“Now you just have to convince them.”

The man turned and sobbed at the sight of four predators in a semi-circle; crouched to the ground and their faces twisted in a snarl as they stalked towards him.

“Call them off!” he begged. Thorin’s lips curled in a vindictive smirk, showing the man a flash of teeth. “PLEASE! I told you what you wanted to know!”

“That you did, and I will ensure that knowledge will be put to use. But you also took what’s mine, and hurt him. You go to your Makers Halls knowing that you messed with the Line of Durin, and I hope every second of your journey there is filled with nothing but excruciating pain. Goodbye.”

Roars echoed as his family pounced; the four shifters piling on the man with teeth and claws flailing as they tried to get at him. A single, piercing scream rent the air, but it didn’t last for long – the man letting out a gurgle as he choked on blood before falling silent.

* * *

It was an odd kind of peace that fell over the clearing in the wake of the bloodied aftermath. Eyes swept over the clearing, over his pack who were still going at the mutilated corpse at their feet - and once he’d reassured himself that the threat to his family was permanently removed, Thorin made his way to Fíli’s side; his heart beating wildly in his throat at the thought of what he might find.

There was still no movement, but thankfully the flames that continued to dance over his nephew’s pelt weren’t able to hide the soft rise and fall of the otherwise motionless cat’s chest. Relieved to know that Fíli still lived, Thorin felt the tension slide from his shoulders.

It didn’t matter right then what had happened, or what was _going_ to happen, because Fíli was here. Living, breathing, _here._ With what had befallen Frerin all those years ago, he’d half believed that he’d never see his nephew again – knowing now what he did of the world, the likelihood of Fíli being slaughtered by some opportunistic, greedy bastard had been high. But by some miracle of the god’s, they’d gotten to him in time. Granted, he was injured, as evidenced by the blood that slicked his pelt – but he’d take that over the alternative any day.

He dropped to his knees and took a moment, allowing his eyes to drink in the sight before him and relief to flood him; to fill his heart to the brim as a reminder that they’d found him, and everything would soon go back to the way it was.

Despite the magnificence of the shifter before him, he couldn’t help but think back to the day Fíli was born – to the jaguar cub that had been small enough to fit into the palms of his hands. The sight of the golden fur with tiny black spots littering his body, the small nose and whiskers that twitched when Thorin held him up for closer examination – the soft squeak of a cry and bright blue eyes that met his… he’d been instantly smitten.

Even before Dís had given birth, he’d known that he’d do anything for the child that was about to join their family. But holding his tiny nephew, such a little, golden cub with its numerous black spots... he’d be wrapped around that child’s finger until the day he died. Of course, that feeling had only grown stronger the day Kíli joined them – but Fíli was always his first cub.

Seventy years on, and Fíli had grown significantly since then. Baby fat had given way to sleek lines and rippling muscles, his tiny squeaks growing into petrifying roars. Truly, he lived up to the moniker of King of the Jungle. But even now, bloodied, battered and bruised – all Thorin could see was the cub he’d sworn to protect.

A chuff of pleasure from behind him snapped him from his mindless staring, and so he began to catalogue his nephew’s injuries; sharp eyes picking out and assessing every wound so he could work out how to best proceed. Starting with a gentle examination, he ran light fingers over the wounds to gauge the depth of them – to see if any were still actively bleeding. For the most part, they weren’t; the majority of them were relatively shallow and several days old, meaning they’d already started scabbing over.

Satisfied that those ones wouldn’t be the cause of any alarming issues for the foreseeable future, he turned his attention to the more severe ones that could become problematic if not given the appropriate treatment.

There were deep gashes to Fíli’s flank; some still sluggishly bleeding, the marks crisscrossing his nephew’s beautiful pelt but they were marks that, given time, would fade beneath the fur. It was infuriating to see his boy as hurt as he was, but the closer he looked, the more surprised he became because the damage, for all that it could have been, wasn’t as bad as he’d expected. In fact it looked as though the injuries were caused from defensive sword strikes when they tried to take Fíli, rather than actual aggressive attacking ones. He couldn’t help but wonder if the twelve bandits were all that were left of however many had originally attacked the group.

Aside from the wounds caused by blades, the only other visible injury was from the bleeding, chafing skin where the chains had rubbed Fíli’s arms raw when he tried to get away. All in all, the damage was easily fixable. It would leave its mark, there was no mistaking that, but there was nothing permanently irreversible.

Which made Fíli’s unconscious state all the more confusing.

There was no reason that Fíli shouldn’t be conscious and snarling in demand to be free; nothing that would – a minor shift and he caught a gleam from the corner of his eye. Leaning over, he snagged what appeared be a carelessly discarded phial by the tree and eyed the contents in the fire light.

Ether. They’d drugged him. 

Growling softly, he shuffled around further so he could see Fíli’s face and belly, barely sparing a glance for his family as they joined him in their blood-soaked dwarven forms. Fíli was muzzled, which infuriated him – but he didn’t remove it just yet; unwilling to do so until his nephew was conscious and cognizant to what was happening around him so he didn’t accidentally hurt anybody. 

“How is he?” Kíli asked as he ran his fingers lightly over his brother’s head. 

“Drugged.” Needing to identify any broken bones they might have to deal with, he ran his hands over Fíli carefully as he probed first along his torso, then his legs. “Although he seems to be okay from what I can see.” 

Frerin was walking around sniffing; first placing his face close to Fíli’s as though checking for himself that his nephew was breathing before slowly making his way around the prone cat – eventually stopping by his rear and growling softly. 

Confused, but not about to question the most attuned of them, Thorin asked Dwalin to light a torch and bring it closer. When he did, the source of Frerin’s agitation became clear. 

There was a pool of blood on the ground. 

“Shit,” he muttered, motioning for Dís to take the torch so he and Dwalin could roll the jaguar enough to see what had caused it. 

“They tried to hamstring him,” Dwalin growled, gathering up the blood-soaked cloth that had been stuffed beneath Fíli and swapping it for a clean one that had been left by the tree. “That must’ve been how they got him.” 

There was a snarl; but Thorin couldn’t say for certain who caused it. Continuing with his examination, it was with relief he discovered that none of the damage was internal. 

Well. There weren’t any broken bones, at least. Determining actual internal injuries was going to take time, and that couldn’t happen until Fíli woke, so for now he had to assume that their boy was relatively unscathed until proven otherwise. “Let’s untie him and see what we can do for his wounds. Frerin, I need you to find Bofur and Nori; get them here as quickly as possible.” 

Instead of racing off like Thorin expected, Frerin snarled at him crouched near Fíli’s injury; baring his teeth and looking like the feral cat he’d found all those years ago. 

Perplexed, but not about to question his wild brother, Thorin turned to his sister. “Dís?” He knew everyone wanted to help, but until their companions were fetched there was little any of them could do. 

It was obvious she didn’t want to leave her son, but she didn’t argue. With a soft murmur of agreement she turned on her heel and shifted before melting into the shadows; disappearing without a sound. 

Kíli was already slicing through the rope that chained his mate to the tree, but left his paws bound which Thorin was grateful for; the brunet must’ve realised there was a reason his brother was still muzzled and didn’t question it. 

Together, the trio set about wiping down Fíli’s open wounds and sterilising them with an ointment Oin had provided, while noting ones that needed further treatment later. Once complete, Kíli laid out a blanket beside his brother and together they carefully rolled the cat onto it. 

The blanket was there to not only protect the wounds they’d just treated, but to also make lifting Fíli into the wagon easier. But shifting the jaguar onto the blanket only emphasized the wrongness of the whole situation; the cat utterly limp as he was moved. 

For an animal that was nothing but muscles and grace – the floppiness was more than a little distressing. 

“I hope Amad doesn’t have to go far,” Kíli muttered, stroking his brother’s nose gently. “We need to get him home.” 

“He’ll be fine, lad,” Dwalin grunted, removing the torch from where Dís had staked it into the ground and holding it higher for Thorin to examine the wounds on Fíli’s flank. “Grumpy and sore, but he’ll be fine.” 

“Hand me the needle and thread, would you Kíli?” 

The brunet dug around his bag and pulled out the requested items, threading the needle and tying it off before handing them to his uncle. He received a noise of thanks, and shuffled around when instructed to hold the skin together. 

The sight of his mate’s flank, with the skin hanging open in flaps and weeping slowly, made him growl softly; the thought of how much pain he’d have been in making him regret killing the bastards as quickly as he did. He should have taken it slow – made them suffer like his Fee had done. 

His growl, however, was drowned out by a viscous snarl, and they all looked at Frerin in shock. 

The cat was crouched beside Fíli – his posture poised and ready to attack. 

And his eyes were trained on them. 

Placing the needle on the blanket slowly, Thorin raised his hands. “Frerin, it’s alright,” he murmured soothingly. “I’m not going to hurt him, I promise. I just want to help him, and to do that I need to fix his injuries, okay?” 

The cat snarled again when he slowly moved for the needle, his hackles raising and tail flicking minutely. He wasn’t listening, and could strike out at any second if not settled. 

“Enough Frerin!” he snapped, locking eyes with his brother whilst fighting his own animal back. That was the last thing he needed right now. “Fíli’s injured and in pain – we need to help him and to do that we need to close his wounds. Back off.” 

Neither broke eye contact for what felt like an age. But eventually the cat backed down; lowering himself to the ground in submission. Relief washed through Thorin, but he didn’t dwell on it. Ignoring the soft growls his brother continued to make, he picked up the needle and got to work before the cheetah could change his mind. 

With Kíli’s help he made quick work of stitching the deepest wounds together, and once they were tied off he slathered them in the ointment; praying it would be enough to ward off the infection that was undoubtedly trying to take hold. 

“That will have to do for now,” he told the small group, handing the needle back to his nephew to put away. “Oin will likely have something stronger for him when we get back.” 

No sooner had they finished treating the last of the wounds than Frerin’s ears pricked up; the cat honing into a certain point in the bushes. Just as she’d melted into them, Dís soon appeared in dwarven form and nodded in greeting. “Bofur and Nori will be here shortly. They heard the screams and figured they needed to get to us sooner rather than later. How is he?” 

“Still unconscious,” Kíli told his mother, shifting to make room for her. “Will they be able to get the wagon close enough?” 

Pointing over her shoulder, Dís nodded. “There’s a path that leads to those boulders, so we won’t have too far to carry him.” 

Thorin looked at Dwalin and the warrior nodded; making his way to the path to see what state it was in. “Let’s get ready to move him then.” 

They all moved quickly; shifting the limp jaguar so his weight was spread evenly on the blanket before checking the campsite for anything that would identify the origins of the bandits for Nori and Bofur. _Let nature destroy the bodies and feed the animals,_ Thorin thought as he rifled through the pockets of one of the corpses – and if someone made the gruesome discovery before nature could fully deal with them... so what? There was some gold and other stolen goods scattered about the clearing, so if anything it would bring comfort to anyone nearby that the men who had robbed them had been punished for their crimes. 

After all, nature didn’t take kindly to destruction, and it certainly took no prisoners. 

Once they’d sorted everything they needed to the small group sat patiently, and sure enough the soft snorts of horses and the creak of a wagon could eventually be heard; slowly growing louder as they wound their way through the forest. 

Breaking through the tree line to get to the path, Thorin nodded at the new arrivals as they slowed beside him. “You made good time.” 

“Helps if yer know these here roads,” Bofur replied with a wink before sobering. “Dís said yer found him.” 

“We did. Before we bring him out we’ll need to untether the wagon and turn it and the horses around; Dwalin couldn’t find anywhere big enough to do so further down the trail.” 

“Right yer are.” 

The toy maker engaged the wagon’s brakes before jumping from his seat so he could sort the horses. Nori joined him on the ground but held out his hand, looking at the king expectantly. “I’m guessing you found something for me.” 

He nodded and pulled out a small satchel from his pocket, placing it in the thief’s hand. “A few rings and pins with insignias on them; I don’t recognise the markings so I’d hazard a guess that’s the place to start.” 

“I’ll take a look when it’s light,” Nori replied, carefully pocketing the bag. “Whoever was after him is gonna be in for an unpleasant surprise. Now, gimme a hand turning this wagon, would ya?” 

They got the wagon turned quickly and the horses re-tethered, Bofur making final checks that everything was secure before turning to him. “We’re as ready as we’ll ever be.” 

Satisfied, Thorin pushed back through the scrub to fetch their precious cargo, and barely managed to contain a noise of alarm when he realised Nori was shadowing him. “I thought you were helping Bofur.” 

“All due respect, Thorin; I wanna double check you lot didn’t miss anything that might make my life easier,” Nori drawled. “I’ll put the fire out once you’ve got Fíli in the wagon; you don’t need my help getting him in there.” They pushed through into the campsite, and Nori smirked at Dwalin who started glowering the moment he laid eyes on him. “Although the puppy might need a hand, come to think of it.” 

“Just wait and see if I don’t piss in yer boots on the way back,” Dwalin snarled. “Or on yer face when yer sleeping.” 

“Ooh, scary.” 

Thorin sighed. This hostility between the pair was nothing new; although with how quickly Dwalin swung between outright animosity, and begrudging respect for the thief, it was hard to keep up with just how he was feeling. He’d hoped his brother-in-arms would be able to shelve this… whatever it was… for the duration of their trip, but apparently not. “Leave off, the pair of you. We have more important things to do right now.” 

Neither dwarf replied, although Dwalin didn’t respond to the mocking hand gesture Nori made, so Thorin would take the victory where he could. 

He made his way to his corner of the blanket that he’d be carrying, and with a nod to the rest of them they crouched; taking up a handful each and lifting slowly. As soon as Frerin could get under the blanket, he did; the cheetah helping take some of the unconscious cat’s weight to eliminate the chance of the blanket tearing on them as they walked. 

And walk they did; slowly, so as not to jostle Fíli too much as they made their way to the wagon. 

Despite saying he’d stay with the horses, Bofur was at the edge of the clearing and as soon as they got close to him he began moving aside the parts of the trees he could. It was slow going, but with the four of them at the corners, and Frerin underneath the short journey through the brush went smoothly. In no time at all they had Fíli up and lying comfortably in the back of the wagon. 

“Nori!” Thorin yelled when he realised the thief still hadn’t returned. “Let’s go!” 

“Or we could leave his sorry ass here,” Dwalin muttered as he started storing their packs in the wagon’s secondary cargo compartment. “Won’t be much of a loss if yer askin’ me.” 

“Is the little puppy a bit too old and senile to play ‘fetch the thief?’” Nori asked as he strolled out of the bushes. “How sad.” 

“I’ll show yer senile,” Dwalin growled. But despite the aggression he didn’t turn to go after the dwarf; instead he continued with his task. Now that they were with the other two dwarves, they’d spend most of the trip back in their usual forms, and carrying bags was going to get very old very quickly. 

Kíli rolled his eyes at the warrior’s comments and handed his pack over before going to the rear of the wagon once again; planning to join Frerin in the back and start his vigil over his mate. Well, he tried to. As he placed a foot on the wagon’s step Frerin stuck his head out from between the canvas sheets and growled in warning. 

Confused, Kíli looked at the cheetah before trying to climb up; and had to leap away to avoid the paw that lashed out at him. “What was that for?!” 

Dís and Thorin hurried over; Dís checking on her son while Thorin tried to climb in – only to be met with the same response. 

“What’s gotten into him?” Dís asked as she glared at the canvas hiding her son and brother. “He was fine earlier.” 

“I think he might be protecting Fíli,” Kíli replied quietly; emotionally hurt and just a little bit shaken by his uncle’s reaction. “He’s been through this before, himself; makes sense he wants to be there for Fíli when no one was there for him.” 

Thorin frowned and approached the wagon carefully once more; getting close enough so he could peel the canvas back slightly to see what was going on inside. What he saw made him disagree with his younger nephew. “He’s not protecting Fíli,” he said quietly, looking at the dwarves who’d gathered around at the commotion. “He’s protecting us.” 

There was a soft chuff of agreement from inside the wagon, and Thorin pulled the canvas back enough so that they could see for themselves. Frerin was closest to the opening and blocking most of the space, which meant that when Fíli woke he wouldn’t be able to escape without hurting the cheetah in the process. 

“This is familiar territory for him,” Thorin told them, releasing the canvas and securing the flap in place. Frerin could let them know if he wanted out easily enough. “We need to follow his lead on this.” 

“But uncle -” 

“No buts, inudóy.” Cupping the back of Kíli’s head he drew the boy to him. “I know you want to be with Fíli, but your brother would never forgive us if we let something happen to you. Unfortunately, patience must be a virtue in this instance. Okay?”

Kíli growled softly, but nodded. “Okay.”

“Good boy.” Pulling back, he looked at the rest of his companions. “Let’s go home.”


	4. So Close To My Heart, Yet So Far From Me

**A/N: Short and sharp update for you lovely people - good news is there's one more chapter to go! So, how many of you were surprised by Fili being a jaguar, rather than a lion like usual? I hope it was a nice change to have!**

**Shoutout to[Littlepinkling](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Littlepinkling), [Shadowmom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowmom), [totalnerdatheart](https://archiveofourown.org/users/totalnerdatheart), [bindsy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bindsy), [FiliKiliRp](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiliKiliRp), [Eternal Scribe (Shadowcat)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowcat), [eldhraun](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eldhraun), [fkuz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fkuz), [karebear119](https://archiveofourown.org/users/karebear119), [Lionsmane](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lionsmane), [islandkate](https://archiveofourown.org/users/islandkate), [Cherokee Rose (Morcanta)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morcanta), [ThornyHedge](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThornyHedge), [MissCallaLilly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissCallaLilly), [KLeonard](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KLeonard), [Froot_Luips](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Froot_Luips), [KiliLover](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KiliLover), [Fiaxfour](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fiaxfour), [ktime](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ktime), [MrsOakensheild](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsOakensheild), [xNamikaze](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xNamikaze), [Bubbles759](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bubbles759), and [Iscalibtra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iscalibtra) as well as the 10 guests who've commented and kudosed - you guys are awesome!**

****

With Fíli back in their care, the trip home was relatively uneventful; the shifters taking turns to run patrols ahead of their small party or drive the wagon, and if they weren’t doing either task then they were sleeping in the small forward cabin that had been hastily turned into a den. 

It continued much the same into the next day, the group choosing not to stop for a hot meal until the evening to ensure they were as far from that accursed clearing and discovery as possible. 

It wasn’t until the midday sun was beating down on them that anything changed, and when it did everyone – dwarf and creature alike – froze. 

Bofur and Dís took one look at each other and hurried to the horses; murmuring reassurances and soft words so that they didn’t suddenly take off if what they suspected was about to happen, suddenly did. Dwalin remained in the driver’s seat, his hands unwavering as he held the reins with his sword across his lap; ready to sever the connection between beast and cart if necessary while Nori was up and on the lead horse’s back in the blink of an eye. 

If the animals startled so severely that Dwalin had to cut them loose, Nori would stay with them and bring them back when they’d calmed. 

For their part, Thorin and Kíli made their way to the back of the wagon - hands skimming the hilt of their swords and eyes trained on the canvas; both picturing what might be happening underneath. 

Everything fell silent, even the birds seemed to be holding their breath, before one deep, rumbling and guttural snarl cut through the air. Kíli was intimately aware of every sound his brother and the jaguar made; having wrung them all from either form at some stage in their lives. 

He’d never heard this one before. 

A quick glance at his uncle revealed the dismay creeping into the edges of Thorin’s eyes; the dismayed realisation that it was a sound no Shifter would make if he had any shred of control. 

The snarl was feral and bloodthirsty, threatening death and mutilation to any nearby. It was a sound ingrained into the minds of lesser creatures; a sound they were taught to cower from and flee if given the chance. 

Their horses saw their chance, and they took it. 

Everything happened at once; an explosion of noise and energy so sudden that Kíli had trouble keeping up. 

There were cries from the horses as they reared in terror, followed by a yell from Nori to cut them loose. The order hadn’t even fully left his lips as Dwalin snarled and brought his sword down on the rope, the blade thudding heavily into the wood only for the sound to be drowned out by the rapid movement of hooves as the horses charged down the road. 

Beneath it all were the continuous snarls of two male cats; both powerful predators in their own rights and equally as terrifying. 

The moment the wagon began to jolt was even more terrifying. Thorin and Kíli, along with Bofur and Dís hurried to a corner each; hands braced against the wood to try and stop the cart from toppling should the movement get any worse. 

Wagon shaking and snarls echoing, whatever was happening with Fíli and Frerin didn’t stop for an age; both cats vocal in their quest for dominance and just as physical. Eventually, the noise died down and the movement stopped; the dwarves looking at each other warily before approaching the rear of the wagon cautiously.

“Frerin?” 

A quiet yowl responded to Thorin’s question, and after a moment’s hesitation he unbuttoned the canvas enough to let the cheetah out; the cat pushing to freedom quickly. 

The flap settled into place as soon as Frerin was clear, but it didn’t hide the glimpse of Fíli that Kíli was desperate for. Although what he did see made his stomach twist in grief; the jaguar still bound and muzzled, and a few new injuries to match. 

“Are you alright?” 

The question stole his attention, and Kíli turned; wincing at the blood that coated his uncle’s fur. Littered as he was in cuts, it was evident Fíli had fought for his freedom and hadn’t hesitated to attack the cheetah who stood in his way; and considering Fíli had never raised a claw to Frerin, even when they played... that, more than anything reiterated that it wasn’t his brother they were dealing with. 

Whether it was by genuine dominance or use of an unfair advantage, Fíli had submitted to Frerin; but the heavy sheen of blood that marred both their coats proved Frerin’s victory hadn’t been easily won. 

* * *

Frerin sat in front of Thorin and chuffed, looking at the dwarf plaintively. When the dwarf didn’t move the cat looked at his leg before looking back at Thorin; his eyes conveying what he verbally couldn’t. 

“Grab one of the medical bags, would you Dís?” Thorin instructed, crouching in front of the cat and scratching Frerin behind the ears. “I’m not sure what the outcome of that was, but thank you.” 

Frerin head butted Thorin’s jaw, leaving a smear of blood and a spluttering dwarf in his wake. 

“That’s disgusting,” he said, wiping his face with his sleeve. “Really didn’t need a mouthful of blood, thank you brother.” 

Another yowl, pleased this time, was the response as Frerin trotted off to follow Dís. Shaking his head, Thorin stood and joined Kíli, placing his hand on his nephew’s shoulder as he parted the canvas and peeked inside. 

Fíli was lying on his stomach; his head resting on his bloodied, bound paws and his eyes were trained on the flap as though waiting for Frerin to return. The moment he spotted them his ears flattened and he snarled; his hackles raising and his body tensing as though he planned to attack. 

Not wanting to upset the jaguar or the nephew beside him further, he quickly re-secured the flap. He didn’t miss the soft sob that escaped Kíli, so as soon as he’d secured the last tie he pulled the panther to him; pressing Kíli’s nose against the crook of his neck like he’d done so many times when the boy was a cub.

Kíli, obviously desperate for the contact gripped his coat and held tightly; inhaling deeply and drawing on that familiar scent to help ground him – help remind him that they were okay. 

“Ssh, inudóy,” he whispered, holding his cubling tighter. “Ssh. We’ll sort this out.” 

“We won’t,” Kíli said mournfully. “Frerin’s stuck, now Fee is too.” 

“We’ll get him back Kee, I swear.” How, Thorin had no idea; but he needed to find answers as soon as they got home. Quite frankly, he’d had enough. He wanted his brother back; wanted things to go back to the way they had been - but more importantly he couldn’t bear the thought of permanently losing another of his pack to their animal. 

Lifting his head far enough without breaking Kíli’s contact with his skin, his eyes found Bofur who was digging the extra tether from the cargo compartment. “Bofur, we’ll set up here for a few hours,” he told the toy maker when he looked over. “We’re well sheltered and I think everyone could do with a break.”

“Right yet are,” Bofur replied, slinging the ropes over his shoulder. “I’ll let Dwalin and Nori know, they’re on their way back with the horses now.”

“Thank you.” Looking down at Kíli, he pressed a kiss to the top of his messy hair. “Come on, let’s check on Frerin then start a fire. I think a hot meal would do us all some good.” 

* * *

Dís placed her hands on her hips and scowled at the cheetah in front of her; valiantly fighting the urge to laugh. 

Every time she applied her ointment to one of his wounds, Frerin would mewl quietly in protest. If she hadn’t known Frerin as well as she did, she would have worried that she was hurting him; but this was her brother and it was nothing new. She lifted her hands to show him the cloth and ointment she held, then gently ran the rag over his side. 

Frerin mewled. 

“Oh for the love of Durin,” she cried, exasperated and flicked his nose lightly. “You’re as bad as you were when you were a dwarf.” 

When Frerin cried again, she wagged a finger in his face. “Don’t you eyeball me when you’re doing that, you brat. Suck it up and deal, or you can sort yourself out.” 

“Arguing with him never gets you anywhere,” Thorin reminded her as he and Kíli joined them. “We all know he’s a baby when it comes to wounds.” 

Frerin growled indignantly, and Thorin smirked at the cat. “Prove me wrong then, go on.” 

Turning his nose up, Frerin ignored Thorin as Dís continued cleaning his wounds – allowing his sister to finish her task with no further complaints. 

“There,” Dís said as she treated the last of the wounds. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?” 

Frerin looked at her and mewled again. 

“Evidently I’m a horrible sister,” she sighed, pushing to her feet. “Shame on me.” 

Another mewl made Kíli snigger, and Dís clipped him over the ears as she passed. “Don’t encourage him gimlith.” 

“Sorry Amad.” 

“Come Kíli,” Thorin said as he placed his hands on his nephew’s shoulders and steered him towards the fire Bofur was preparing. “The sooner we eat, the sooner we go home.”


	5. What Once Was Lost

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed for this story! I hope you've enjoyed reading it and going on this wild ride with the boys as much as I've enjoyed writing it! It's certainly different to what I normally do, and it's also a rare Kili-centric fic; something I don't do very often. Technically it's also Fili-centric, but as a secondary. I think.**

**Anyway, I had a great time writing this last chapter, and re-reading it made me giggle. I hope you all enjoy this too!**

**Just as a side note, I've been working to get my WIP's completed as soon as possible, because after much thought I've decided I'm going to retire from the fandom for a wee while. There are so many other stories that I want to write (as tends to happen for writers) but I've never really done so because of my other WIPs here. To push myself to do so, I've now got a new psued set up - BlueFireRedIce - which will become the main one once I switch over. Let's be honest, my current one wouldn't go well in any other fandom :P There's a few other stories for the Hobbit/Britchell/DarkHawk fandoms I'd still like to do, but they'll happen when they happen; assuming anyone is still around by that point! :D Thanks to all you wonderful people who have been with me from day dot - you've been incredible to write for and have put up with my overactive imagination like champs! I hope any new stories will encourage you to branch out into other fandoms with me (the more the merrier) and hopefully you'll still be around for any new stories I post here! I'm not going anywhere just yet, but thank you all the same. <3**

**Special shout out to:[crazyblabla1](https://archiveofourown.org/users/crazyblabla1), [bridges2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bridges2), [Littlepinkling](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Littlepinkling), [Shadowmom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowmom), [totalnerdatheart](https://archiveofourown.org/users/totalnerdatheart), [bindsy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bindsy), [FiliKiliRp](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiliKiliRp), [Eternal Scribe (Shadowcat)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowcat), [eldhraun](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eldhraun), [fkuz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fkuz), [karebear119](https://archiveofourown.org/users/karebear119), [Lionsmane](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lionsmane), [islandkate](https://archiveofourown.org/users/islandkate), [Cherokee Rose (Morcanta)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morcanta), [ThornyHedge](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThornyHedge), [MissCallaLilly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissCallaLilly), [KLeonard](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KLeonard), [Froot_Luips](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Froot_Luips), [KiliLover](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KiliLover), [Fiaxfour](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fiaxfour), [ktime](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ktime), [MrsOakensheild](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsOakensheild), [xNamikaze](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xNamikaze), [Bubbles759](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bubbles759), and [Iscalibtra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iscalibtra) as well as the 11 guests who've commented and kudosed, you guys are awesome!**

It had been six weeks since they’d arrived back in Ered Luin, and what a long and difficult, yet educational six weeks it had been. 

With time and patience on their part, and no small amount of bullying on Frerin’s part, the jaguar now held some small degree of trust towards them. He was still wary, and skittish if approached too fast, but he no longer bolted if any of them came near him in dwarven form. 

But it had taken two very trying weeks to get to that point. 

When they’d first gotten home, Frerin had had to sit on the cat’s head to allow Oin to examine and treat Fíli’s wounds. The amount of growling and grumbling that came from the jaguar would have terrified a lesser dwarf; but Oin had dealt with them all far too often to be bothered by the noise both cats made. 

The fact he hadn’t brought his ear trumpet into the healing room probably had something to do with it, too. 

After Oin was satisfied the wounds had been tended to correctly, Frerin had all but shoved the grumbling jaguar out the door and down to the clearing; snarling at the dwarves that tried to follow. This was his domain, his area of expertise; and they all knew Frerin needed them to trust him with his new companion or risk losing them both. 

If Fíli bolted for good, Frerin would follow. Such was the way of nature, and Frerin wouldn’t abandon his self-appointed charge. 

By the end of the two weeks – which up until that point had been filled with little more than the odd glimpse of either cat, they had finally been allowed close. Or rather, Frerin had – with a lot of pushing and shoving until they clued into what he wanted – gotten them on their knees with their eyes closed. 

Eyes shut tight, first Frerin, then Fíli had approached them. The trio had held completely still, allowing Fíli to walk around and sniff them to his heart’s content. 

It was the first real progress they’d made, despite still not being able to touch him. Soon enough Fíli was eating the meat they’d leave out for him without making Frerin eat some first to prove it was okay, and he also spent more time near the house; lolling about into the trees and watching them as they went about their day. 

And it was thanks to his curiosity that Kíli found the way to win the jaguar over. 

On one particularly sunny day about three weeks into their return, Kíli had been out in the garden polishing his sword and allowing the sounds of the outdoors to wash over him; Thorin and Dwalin chopping wood, his mother humming to herself as she peeled a freshly picked bucket of apples she was later planning on turning into a number of culinary delights, and his uncle’s rumbling purr from his sprawled position several feet from her table. 

He’d deliberately chosen a tree to lean against that gave him a direct line of sight of his family and of his mate without being too close to scare the jaguar off, and not far enough that the cat wouldn’t be able to see him. 

When he’d first started, Fíli had been sprawled high up in the boughs; content to watch from the safety of his perch. He’d been busy with checking the sharpness of his sword – using a whetstone to fix any dull spots he found and it was by pure accident he found himself glancing up into the trees. 

And he found Fíli several branches lower. He frowned and tilted his head, trying to work out if his brother had in fact moved or if he was imagining things. 

Fíli was alert but still lying down, so he shrugged and wrote it off as a trick of his imagination. 

But movement out of the corner of his eyes had him glancing up again, and this time he was certain he wasn’t seeing things. 

The eyes trained on his general direction were intent, focused. Probably the first real attention the cat had given him since this whole debacle had started. 

Lifting his hand he waved, and was nearly disheartened by the way the jaguar’s eyes had darted away from his, but then he realised what Fíli was looking at. 

A sun spot. 

And he’d knocked his sword when he went to wave. 

Feeling a grin sneak its way onto his face, an idea began to form. Even when he’d been in control, sunspot’s had been one of Fíli’s weaknesses; the simple joy of having something to chase too hard for his jaguar to resist. 

It often left Fíli mortified when he came back to himself to realise he’d spent who knew how long chasing all the sunspot’s he could find – and often entertaining whoever happened to be nearby to witness and/or encourage said chase - but it was something he’d begrudgingly come to accept as being unable to change. 

Maybe this would be what it took to get Fíli back. 

Certain Fíli’s attention was on the spot half way up his tree, Kíli tilted his blade so that the spot was resting a foot below the jaguar. Sure enough, a paw darted out to swipe at it; the cat batting with increasing determination until Kíli moved it off to a branch on his left. 

As predicted, Fíli’s head whipped to the side, before his body began to follow. He moved the spot back to its original position, and it was only with quick thinking that Fíli managed to turn with grace, rather than tangle his limbs and fall out of the tree. 

The jaguar stalked along the branches slowly following his target, likely hoping not to startle it. With a small jiggle, the spot danced in place, and Fíli’s ears went back as he watched; the tip of his tail flicking as he prepared to pounce. 

Biting his lip, Kíli glanced at his family and discovered no one had noticed what was happening above their heads – and with the sun positioned where it was it meant that Fíli’s shadow fell behind him, rather than in front and giving the game away. Something he was grateful for, because when he realised Frerin was still fast asleep his plan grew further. 

He was in so much trouble if he pulled this off. 

Angling his blade, he ran the spot up the trunk and along the branch directly above Fíli – and the jaguar managed to pivot on the spot without losing his balance or focus. With the cat now turned, Kíli had the spot run the length of the branch before settling on the roof of the house. 

As expected, Fíli followed, and was soon stepping down from his branch and onto the roof on silent feet. The tiles held as he crept across the main beam, eyes constantly trained on his target as Kíli manoeuvred his brother into position. 

With slow movements, he trailed the spot down to just before the edge; smirking triumphantly when the cat followed. 

Then he put the spot directly in front of Frerin. 

As tempting as it was to put the spot on his uncle’s back, Fíli wasn’t exactly light – and he could cause a serious injury if the cheetah was caught unawares. So, by placing it beside him he’d _hopefully_ get a hell of a fright without getting hurt. 

He watched as the jaguar’s muscles bunched and tensed; his ears going straight back before he let out a yowl and pounced. 

The flailing limbs as Frerin startled awake with a yowl of his own and Fíli’s legs going out from under him as he scrambled for his target had him falling onto his side, roaring with laughter. He barely heard the commotion as Thorin and Dwalin came charging around the corner demanding to know what was going on, nor his mother’s indignant yells of his name as she grabbed her prepared apples before the two cats knocked the table over. All he could hear was his laughter and the grunts of two cats who were now chasing the sunspot around the clearing. 

Sadly, it didn’t bring Fíli back like he’d hoped, but it did provide them with an hour of entertainment and finally broke the barrier the jaguar had kept between them. 

He was still somewhat wary, but very much eager to play with those that wanted too. 

* * *

After dropping himself into the chair at the head of the table, Kíli started digging into the bowl of porridge his mother had placed in front of him with gusto; dedicating a long, forlorn thought to the fact that breakfast without his brother was – despite hoping otherwise - going to be a permanent thing. 

“What news did the raven bring?” 

He looked up from his food and focused on his uncle who was focused on Balin; the advisor having just arrived unannounced. 

“Nori reports that they’ve had quite a bit of success following the leads you gave him.” 

He sat up straighter at that, his attention now fully on the older dwarves. After they’d arrived home, Nori and Bofur had set off a few days later – the pair travelling to the settlement that had been closest to the campsite to try and track down leads on where the bandits had come from, and receiving them just as quickly. 

From there, they had travelled around, quietly taking out any who carried the same insignia and had talked of hunting Shifters. And every single one of them had spoken of it, so every single one of them had, to Kíli’s knowledge, been disposed of. 

“They believe they’ve eliminated the majority of the guild, and are now just mopping up what’s left.” 

“How much longer do they expect it to take?” Dís asked, placing a cup of honey-milk in front of her friend. “They’ve been at it for weeks.” 

“From what he’s reported the bandits weren’t spread through many towns, so I’d wager that another two weeks would be needed for silencing the rest of them, and from there it would be however long it took to get home.” 

“It will be good to have them back,” Thorin mused. “Once he’s rested, I’ll send the raven to Thengal and tell him that our search for the people who attacked Fíli has gone well. We’ll need to arrange another meeting at some point; they offered a large amount of business for our blacksmiths and I don’t want to lose that deal.” 

A click of nails on the stone had him glance at the doorway, and Kíli gave Fíli and Frerin a brief smile as the pair padded into the room, jostling each other as they made their way towards him. He gave Fíli a scratch behind the ears when the cat sat beside him, but kept his attention on his uncle. 

“What will you tell him of Fíli?” he asked. “You don’t want him knowing we’re Shifters, but I imagine he’ll insist on seeing Fíli for himself to apologise for an attack that happened inside his kingdom’s borders.” 

“I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it,” Thorin replied, seemingly unbothered. 

Kíli shrugged before digging back into his breakfast. Thorin could look like a dolt if he wanted to assume he could get away with not revealing Fíli to anyone; least of all the one person who had every right to request an audience with him. 

He had his spoon halfway to his mouth when a paw was placed on his thigh, and he first looked down, then across to find the jaguar watching him intently. 

Fíli licked his lips. 

“No,” he grunted, turning back to his porridge and putting the spoon in his mouth. Too bad if Fíli the dwarf enjoyed porridge - they’d learned the hard way that oats weren’t so easily eaten in animal form. The last time any of them had tried it, Kíli had nearly ended up with his mouth glued shut. 

It was hilarious in hindsight, but it wasn’t going to happen again. Not when Fíli couldn’t change back to fix it.

“Speaking of bridges,” Balin said, helping himself to the toast that had been set on the table, “the raven reported a traveller crossing the one into our lands about two days ago.” 

Kíli looked up, his interest in the conversation renewed. There was another paw placed on his other thigh, and he frowned at Frerin. The cat was also staring intently, and licked his lips when he looked at him. 

“Stop it,” he muttered, shoving both paws off his thighs before refocusing on the conversation at hand. 

Thorin looked decidedly displeased. “Who were they?” 

“Travell _er_ ,” Balin reiterated. “Just one. Human, grey cloak and beard. Walking stick.” 

“Mithrandir,” Dís said immediately, perking up at the thought. “No one else fits the description. Perhaps he could -” 

“No.” Thorin looked at them all, his eyes conveying a silent warning not to argue. “We will not seek out the wizard. No one can know what we are – no one can know that we are down another member of the family.” 

“Uncle, he’s a _wizard_! If anyone can -” 

“I said _no_ Kíli.” 

Kíli opened his mouth to argue, ready to fight for the chance Thorin was denying their trapped kin, but he got side-tracked by two paws landing on his thighs again. He glared at the two cats, hands moving to dislodge their paws only to yelp when their claws dug in. “Hey!” 

“Understand this, Kíli,” Thorin continued, looking at him intently and ignoring the antics of the two cats. “Fíli was targeted because people had heard rumours of our kind existing. What do you think will happen if the wizard knows? He’ll look for answers to help them, and to do so he’ll need to ask questions. It wouldn’t take a genius to make the connection that Shifters still walk the earth. Regardless of whether they realise it’s us at first or not, we’d be hunted to extinction.” 

“You don’t know that,” his mother said gently, placing her hand on his Uncle’s arm. “He may already know the answer. He’s been around a lot longer than we have.” 

“Dís, I’m not having this disc – uh, Kíli?” 

Kíli sat there, glaring at the three bemused faces staring at him as he fought not to shout in exasperation while being gently swayed side to side. Fíli and Frerin had evidently become tired of waiting for their breakfast; with their claws embedded in his thigh they’d started a synchronised push-pull movement that had him rocking slightly in his seat while alternating their grunts in their demand for food. 

He was not amused. 

“Fíli,” Dís said from behind the hand she’d pressed against her mouth to stifle her laughter, “what are you doing?”

The jaguar looked at her, eyes doleful and innocent and chuffing softly even as he continued to pester Kíli; pushing the brunet harder so that he gave a sudden violent sway. 

“Fíli!” Kíli glared at his brother as he recovered from the sharp movement, narrowing his eyes when the jaguar looked at him and huffed. “Don’t eyeball me.” 

Frerin rocked him his direction, and he turned his glare on his uncle. “Would you two st _-YEOW!_ ” Nails dug further into his thigh as both cats flexed their claws. Despite his thigh being all muscle, it was still a sensitive area and the now-injured nerves screamed in protest. He flicked his Uncle’s nose, withdrawing his hand quickly when Frerin tried to nip his fingers in retaliation. “Ow ow _ow_! Stop digging your claws in! Mahal’s balls, it _hurts!_ ” 

The jaguar and cheetah both looked at him and mewled. 

“ _Amad_!” Kíli screeched when both cats started rocking him in earnest, verbally disagreeing with him. “Would you do something?!” 

Dís had tears streaming down her face and her fist shoved in her mouth as she smothered her laughter. Rather than responding, she pushed out of her chair and headed for the pantry, coming back moments later with two large pieces of raw venison which she set on the floor away from the table. 

Both cheetah and jaguar ditched Kíli for their meal, chuffing away happily as they dug in. Kíli groaned and pressed his hands against his poor bleeding thighs, muttering curses under his breath about the pair. He’d have lovely paw shaped bruises around the puncture wounds tomorrow, he had no doubt.

To hell with what Thorin said. He was going to get help for them _now_. 

* * *

The moon was high in the sky by the time he heard Thorin’s door click shut as his uncle retired for the night. 

Kíli waited a bit longer, listening as Thorin shuffled around his room and it was only when he could no longer hear any movement did he slip out of bed before moving to the window on silent feet. 

He’d propped the window open earlier in the evening in preparation for his little rebellious jaunt through the woods; not wanting to run the risk of opening the window when he went to leave and having the latch hit the frame as it was moved. His mission to find the wizard would have been over faster than he could blink. 

With careful fingers he lifted the latch off the last hole, the small bit of metal the only thing that was holding the window in place and climbed out - landing soundlessly on the grass outside. He replaced the latch and looked around; his ears picking up on the minute vibrations of his surroundings to tell him where everyone was. 

Thorin and his mother were exactly where he’d left them; the slow heartbeats of his mother indicating she was fast asleep, whilst Thorin’s showed he was quickly heading that way himself. A minor adjustment of his head and he could hear the rumbling purrs of Fíli and Frerin in the clearing nearby. Even the barn owls that often hung around were fast asleep in the trees; not having noticed or heard the predator who now lurked beneath them. 

Satisfied his disappearance wouldn’t be noticed immediately, he shifted and padded away from the house, waiting until he was deep in the forest before breaking out into a run. 

The trees whipped past him in a blur of colour while dead leaves crunched underfoot, and Kíli couldn’t help but revel in freedom that came with a night run. Since rescuing Fíli, his runs in panther form had been few and far between; his time being taken up by trying to help his mate. He planned to enjoy this one while he could.

It took Kíli longer than he’d expected before he sensed his target; an hour or so of constant running had passed before he picked up on the faintest trace of smoke. It appeared that despite entering their lands several days ago, Gandalf – if that’s who it was – had chosen to stick to the road that ran parallel to their borders rather than make his way inland to their village.

Odd, but not entirely alarming.

When the smell of a campfire grew stronger, Kíli slowed to a walk; his paws silent as he stalked through the underbrush and towards the faint glow in the distance. He could only smell and hear the movement of one being, so even if this wasn’t Gandalf, he wasn’t in danger of being ambushed.

If worst came to worst and it wasn’t the wizard, he’d easily be able to slip home with the traveller none the wiser to his presence.

* * *

After prodding the fire with a stick, Gandalf leaned back against the tree and took a long drag of his pipe; his attention on the animal that was slowly approaching.

It wasn’t a deer, or some other small creature – no. This one was large, and powerful; a predator to any who crossed its path. And apparently he was of interest to it.

Knowing what he did about the line of Durin, it wasn’t hard to suspect that he was about to make one of their acquaintances, and so he allowed his magic to stretch out and roam; drifting invisibly on the air as it crept towards the Shifter. He found them soon enough, his magic washing over the creature as he investigated.

_Panther._

_Kíli._

“Indeed,” he murmured, his interest piqued. Thorin or Dwalin, he’d expected, but not Thorin’s youngest nephew.

Curious indeed.

The panther crept closer, eventually coming to settle at the base of a tree just outside of where he could see; the young dwarf obviously uncertain and assessing the situation. That was easily resolved.

“Come now, master Kíli,” he called, barely removing his pipe from his mouth even as he kept his posture relaxed. “Why do you linger in the shadows?”

He could feel the boy’s shock, and he chuckled softly to himself at the confusion emanating from the Shifter. Waiting patiently, the panther eventually crept forward into the circle of light; revealing himself whilst staying far enough away that he could bolt if needed. The panther cocked its head, looking at him quizzically.

When he did nothing more than raise an eyebrow in return, the boy shifted, and Gandalf couldn’t deny his curiosity at the seamless transition. It had to be painful, to some degree, yet the boy didn’t even bat an eye at the way his body changed. “How’d you know it was me?” 

“Funnily enough, I happen to be a wizard,” he replied dryly. “I can sense these things you know.” He lifted a stick from the fire, giving the meat a prod to check it was cooked before holding it out in offering. “Hungry?” 

When Kíli shook his head, his posture still emanating confusion he shrugged before digging into the meal himself. No point letting good meat go to waste.

“What brought you our way?”

Straight into it then. “Nothing in particular,” he said once he finished his mouthful. “I’m known as the wandering wizard – so I felt like living up to my name and... wandered. It just so happened my feet carried me here, but there was no particular intention to visit Ered Luin. Why do you ask?” 

“Because Thorin is a stubborn arse and refuses to ask for outside aide, so I’ll do it for him. We need your help, Gandalf.” 

That was interesting. The needing of his help, not so much Thorin’s stubbornness for not asking – he knew just how difficult that dwarf could be. He cocked an eyebrow at the boy as invitation to continue. “Do tell.” 

So Kíli did.

The more the boy talked, the lower his eyebrows dropped on his forehead at the story he was being told. It was worse than he could have imagined, and he didn’t know what was worse; the fact that none of the Shifters knew how to fix this, or the fact that they’d kept what had happened to themselves instead of seeking out answers from the one’s they knew would probably have a good idea.

When Kíli finished, he rolled his eyes. “Save me from the stubbornness of dwarves,” he muttered, annoyance and exasperation mingling together.

“Can you help?” 

Picking up his pipe from where he’d set it so he could eat, he took a deep drag and exhaled slowly. “Of course I can, dear boy. We’ll get this mess sorted out.” And he would. Thorin was in for a rather unpleasant surprise tomorrow morning when he found just what his nephew had left on his doorstep.

* * *

Thorin opened the door, and cursed aloud when he saw who was on the other side of it. Kíli pushed past him in dwarven form, eyeballing him as though daring him to argue.

Well he bloody well would once the wizard was gone; that boy was going to get an earful and a list a duties a mile long as punishment for disobeying him.

“Calm yourself Thorin,” Gandalf said as he followed Kíli into the house and ignored the half-hearted effort he made to block the wizard’s entry. “Obviously you still struggle to ask for help, yet your nephew has no qualms about doing so himself. Which is a good thing too, because I’m sure Fíli and Frerin have had enough of being trapped and would ever so much like to be released, wouldn’t you think?”

Thorin blinked, startled. He’d expected to be grilled for more information before the wizard left in a quest for answers, but he spoke as though… “You know how to fix this?”

Dís popped out from the kitchen, Dwalin and Balin trailing her as they all gathered around the wizard.

“Of course I do,” Gandalf told them, and his heart leapt into his throat in anticipation. “It’s quite a simple fix, really. If you’d come to me years ago, this would have been solved so much earlier. This knowledge isn’t new by any means, but as none of you seem to know it; it must’ve been lost long before Erebor fell.”

“Kíli,” he said, looking at his excited nephew, the boy turning to him with eyes shining in hope. “Go fetch your brother and Frerin.”

A brief nod, and Kíli was out the door like a shot.

“What do you need to prepare?” Dís asked, ushering the wizard into the kitchen. “Do you need me to fetch anything?

“A flagon of milk and two bowls is all I require, milady.”

Dís bustled from the room to the cold cellar to fetch the milk, and Thorin watched suspiciously as the wizard pulled out one of the kitchen chairs, eyed it warily, before putting it back. “It might be better if we do this outside.”

Gandalf looked at him and nodded before sweeping from the room and back through the front door.

“Dís!” he called, sticking his head into the corridor his sister had disappeared down. “We’re going out to the garden to do this.”

“Alright!”

“What is it you mean to do?” he heard Balin ask as he joined his friends; frowning when Gandalf sat on a tree stump and pulled out his pipe and lit it. “Is it particularly complicated, or something?”

“Or something.”

The thunder of paws could be heard, and Thorin turned to see his nephews and brother come sprinting down the path; Kíli in the lead with Fíli and Frerin trying to tackle him. Just as Fíli went to pounce, Kíli shifted forms again and rolled neatly before jumping to his feet; sticking out his tongue at the jaguar.

“Missed.”

Fíli growled, his tail swishing as he eyed the brunet playfully.

“Fíli,” he warned, drawing the jaguar’s attention. “Be nice.”

The jaguar yowled at him, affronted, and he pointed at Fíli with a raised eyebrow. “I know exactly what you were going to do, mister. Don’t you argue with me.”

Dís arrived a moment later with the flagon and bowls, and held both out to the wizard. Gandalf, who had been watching the entire interaction with open amusement took the flagon only and asked Dís to hold the bowls out. The moment he started pouring the milk, both cheetah and jaguar perked up, eyeing the wizard hopefully.

With the bowls full of the white liquid, Gandalf dug in his robes and pulled out a small pouch, which immediately had them all curious.

“What’s that?” Kíli asked, moving in closer to get a better look. There was no answer, instead Gandalf gave his nephew the bag; the brunet sticking his nose close to the opening and inhaling deeply before anyone could suggest otherwise.

“Is that -” Kíli inhaled again and was alarmed by the reaction his panther had. Never before had his cat felt this spaced out to anything except – “is that _catnip_?!” 

“Aye, it is.” Gandalf took the bag back and removed a generous pinch, sprinkling it into the milk. He repeated the action for the other bowl and inspected both before nodding, satisfied. “It’s quite simple, really. The catnip will help soothe the cat, settle it down so it can be moved to the back, and this -” he removed a small bottle from his robes and poured it in, “this will draw the dwarf forward. Allow them to regain control.” 

Accepting the bottle that was handed to him, Kíli gave it a sniff. “Rum?!” 

“You want to get to a dwarf, you do it through his drink.” 

Kili threw back his head and roared with laughter, ignoring his Uncle’s annoyed spluttering. The fact it was so simple was hilariously infuriating. Damn Thorin and his stubbornness! 

“What would you give a wolf then?” Dís asked, biting her lip to smother her own chuckles. “A bone?” 

“An ale and spearmint bone broth would do quite nicely, yes.” Chuckling at the laughter that echoed around him, Gandalf withdrew a knife and looked at Thorin. “I just need a drop of blood from each of them, then the remedy is complete. I would think you’d have better luck.”

Nodding, Thorin took the knife and sat down, waving Frerin over with his empty hand. Holding the knife up for the cheetah to see, he pricked his finger. “This is what I need from you,” he told the cheetah, pinching his finger to allow a bead of blood to appear. “You and Fíli. Will you let me?”

The cheetah rumbled in complaint, but sat and held out his paw; mewling pitifully when he was pricked.

“Oh you’ll get over it,” he sighed, handing the blood tipped dagger to the wizard and withdrawing a second one. “Come Fíli, it’ll take but a moment.”

The jaguar was much more reluctant, but gave him little more than a sad look. Apparently the brat was learning a trick or two from Frerin. “You’ll be fine,” he told his nephew, exasperated, before turning to watch what Gandalf was doing. The wizard took one of the bowls and dipped the blade with Frerin’s blood into Dís’, doing the same with his bowl but with Fíli’s blood. Once it was added he gave the bowl a brief swirl before stepping away from Dís.

“Come master Fíli, aren’t you thirsty?”

The jaguar padded over to drink the milk; and so Dís hurriedly put the other bowl down and called for her brother.

Both cats lapped up their drink greedily; chasing the bowls once the liquid was finished for some leftover drops – and likely because the catnip was already starting to kick in.

But despite finishing it all, nothing happened.

“Uh... Gandalf?” 

“Give it a moment.” 

The cats sat there licking their lips, purring at the taste of milk and catnip and seemingly content to stay upright when suddenly, they both looked at each other and flopped on the ground as though stoned. There was a soft blur, where fur gave way to flesh, and the non-affected dwarves stood there gaping in astonishment at the sight of two blond dwarves lying on ground, blinking muzzily at the sky. 

“Guh,” Fíli grunted, lifting a hand to rub at his eyes but smacked himself in the face instead. “Ow.” 

“Oh thank Durin!” Kíli sighed heavily, feeling a heavy weight slide off his shoulders at the sight of the shambles that was his mate. He hurried forward and pulled his brother upright enough so that he could wrap him in a tight hug. “You’re back.”

“Where’ve I been?”

“This is certainly a miracle,” Balin stated, looking at the dwarves on the ground in amazement. “Are you seeing this, brother?”

“Aye,” the bald dwarf replied, looking just as baffled as Balin. “Seeing, still… working on believing.”

“W-” Frerin coughed, wincing as he tried desperately to clear his throat. “Wh-”

“Frerin!” The relief and joy that flooded through Thorin at the sight of his very much dwarven brother was unlike anything he’d ever felt before. He threw himself onto the ground beside Frerin and mimicked his nephew, gathering the blond into a hug. “Don’t talk, you might hurt yourself.” 

“L’ke y’do wh’ya t’ink?” 

Dís didn’t bother to hide her wet snort as she wrapped her arms around her brother, hugging them both tight. “You can still smell his brain cooking when he tries too hard. Oh Frerin, it’s good to see you.”

“Wh’happened?” Fíli asked, returning the hug he was given and patting Kíli on the back awkwardly. “W’s going on?” He looked around, and frowned when he realised where he was. “This isn’ Rohan.”

Kíli snorted a laugh, pulling his mate into a fierce kiss. “This certainly isn’t Rohan, Fee. Mahal but there’s a lot to catch you up on. You and Frerin both.”

“That can wait,” Thorin replied, wrinkling his nose as he pulled back and doing his best not to gag. “But for the love of Mahal, you both need a bath, a haircut and to brush your teeth – in that order.”

The two blonds peered at each other over the heads of their families through their tangles of their hair while taking in the other’s appearance. There was no response that seemed to match what they could see of each other and their kin.

So lacking a better option, they burst out laughing instead.

Yeah, that felt about right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The photo of the bow and the kissing (i think) were both found on Google, which appears to come from a site called "we <3 it". The bow came from (I think) InkHeart17, and the kissing Cassidy: space_adventures. I hope I got the photo credit right.


End file.
